家有大貓 Nekojishi: Another Way
by Ghost Cats
Summary: (Contains HEAVY spoilers for the furry visual novel, Nekojishi. This is a reimagining of the game's true ending.) It can't end like this… After all this time. After everything I've been through. There had to be another way.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** A few things to stress before you start. This is a story for the **furry visual novel, 家有大貓 | Nekojishi**. If you have not played AND finished it, there are major story spoilers ahead, and you will not understand what is going on. Secondly, this is a **reimagining** of the game's true ending. It is attempting to rewrite the events of the true ending in such a way as to create a plausible alternate outcome. As such, some concepts will be the same, while others are wildly different. Above all, I attempted to stay within the realm of possibility given the information presented in the game universe. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy this story.

* * *

"Yes, your Senpai Yan Shu-Chi was eaten on the day when you opened your third eye." Leopard Cat smiled. "He's long dead and I've absorbed his soul completely. You can kill me, but you can't save him."

My heart sank as a wave of anxiousness and fear washed over my entire body. I tried to breathe, but the air kept catching in my throat. "S-Senpai… is dead? This whole time, he…?"

The cat's smile grew devilish. "That's right. It's a shame, really. You could've saved him if one of your useless pets had noticed my intentions earlier." Leopard Cat's eyes flickered towards the two other beast-men in the room.

"No useless!" Kulau took a step towards the leopard cat, but Tiger held out his arm across the clouded leopard's chest. Kulau looked up towards the bigger cat, but then turned his gaze to the floor. "No useless… try to help… not work…"

Guardian Tiger spoke up. "Don't let him get to you. We couldn't have possibly sensed his true intentions." Tiger's words didn't make me feel any better. Clouded Leopard backed away, but didn't raise his eyes from the floor.

My voice trembled as I spoke. "So… the shopping… the dating… dining… it was all a lie?"

Leopard Cat looked a little confused. "Hmm? Well, not exactly. Like I told you, when I ate Shu-Chi's soul, I gained his experience and his memories. What I said and my desire to date you were a reflection of his will."

Senpai… felt that way about me? I didn't even notice…

Leopard Cat shrugged. "I just used that to get close to you." The cat pouted. "I was so close, too. I almost had you to myself a few times, but you always denied me."

My eyes widened. "You mean… letting you escape from your family… at our date at the arcade?"

"Yep!" The leopard cat laughed. "I could almost taste your spirit power. All I had to do was get you to come home with me. You even could've seen your Senpai's body before you died."

I clenched my fists by my side. Senpai's gone because of me. I have to save him… "Give him back." My voice came out small. I stared directly into Leopard Cat's eyes. "I cared for you. I wanted to help you. I…" I swallowed. "Just give Senpai back already."

Leopard Cat looked slightly shocked, but quickly turned to anger. "Your feelings mean nothing to me. Your Senpai's gone, and he's never coming back. I'm the closest you'll ever get to him! Buuuuut, you can still help me if you want." Leopard Cat stuck his tongue out and winked at me. "All you gotta do is let me eat your soul!"

I'd seen that look so many times. It caught me off guard when he lunged at me again. I closed my eyes and held my arms in front of my face, bracing for the impact that never came. When I opened my eyes, Guardian Tiger had caught Leopard Cat by the collar and was holding him in the air. The small cat thrashed around for a bit before giving up with a defeated look on his face.

"You can't win here, kitten. As long as Liao is under my protection, you won't lay a finger on him."

Leopard Cat crossed his arms and pouted at the large feline. "You're no fun, old man. It's just one soul. Nobody will miss it."

Tiger was starting to get angry. He switched his grip from Leopard Cat's collar to his throat. "Don't play with me. How many humans have you consumed at this point? Even one soul is far too many."

Leopard Cat tried to pry Tiger's large hand away. One of his eyes was closed and his sharp, clenched teeth were exposed as he struggled. "H-haha, you don't get it. It's the only way I can get stronger. In this world, it's eat or be eaten." Leopard Cat looked at me through his open eye. "You think I'm the only one attracted by Liao's spirit power. I certainly won't be the last one to come for him."

His words sent chills down my spine. Before I could respond, Tiger spoke. "Selfish yaoguais. Your kind never learn." Tiger's grip tightened on Leopard Cat's neck, and the smaller cat let out a pained gasp. I didn't think spirits could be choked. "As I've said, Liao is under my protection. I won't let anyone harm-"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh." Leopard Cat turned his attention back to Tiger. "You're weak, old man. Weak like me. Your overconfidence will be the end of both of you."

Guardian Tiger seemed taken aback by the smaller cat, but he quickly recovered. "You're one to talk about overconfidence. You come here, even now, expecting a meal. Yet you will not leave this place with your life."

"Hold on, Lin Hu." I stepped over to the two cats. "You can't kill him yet. We… we still need to rescue Senpai." The words felt hollow as soon as they left my mouth.

"Liao…"

I couldn't look at my Guardian Tiger. I knew what he was going to say. "We have to try. We can't just leave him…"

Guardian Tiger sighed. "Listen, Liao. Your Senpai's chi is gone. Whatever's left of it is inside this wicked cat, melded with his own negative chi. Once that happens, there's no going back."

I looked up at Guardian Tiger. The large cat's eyes stared back at me with pity. I turned to the silent Clouded Leopard, looking for a different answer.

Instead, Likulau's eyes avoided meeting mine.

Leopard Cat sneered. "They're right. There's nothing you can do about it now. So, come on!" The small cat raised his voice. "Just hate me already! Kill me!"

"No!" I yelled back. "I won't give up here. There has to be another way."

"There is no other way! It's impossible!"

I can't. I can't give up here. I thought about everything that's happened so far. "…I've seen so many impossible things this month. I mean," I looked at the three cats in my room. "I didn't know spirits and gods actually existed, and now I can see them. I've even had sex with two of them…" I trailed off, feeling my face heating up after saying that. I took a shaky breath and continued. "I've seen dragons and lizards. I've seen things that can only be described as miracles. And you're telling me saving Senpai is the only thing in this crazy, messed up month that can't happen?"

"Liao." I looked up at my Guardian Tiger. "I understand how you feel. But something like this… It just doesn't work like that."

"How can you say that when we haven't even tried?"

"I…" Guardian Tiger searched for an answer in the corner of his eyes. After a few seconds, he closed them and sighed deeply. "I don't know. I don't know how it isn't possible because I don't know any way to even attempt saving someone who is so far gone. Do you, Liao?"

I opened my mouth, but couldn't find any words. He was right. "Uhh… M-Maybe the city god could help? He must have dealt with something like this before."

Leopard Cat scoffed. "You might as well kill me yourself. The city god's lackeys have been hunting me for years. They'd much rather destroy me than help your senpai."

Guardian Tiger nodded. "He's right. We are on our own here."

I ran my hands through my hair and paced around the room. There had to be something we could do. Senpai's soul is trapped in Leopard Cat. How do we get him out? I stared down at my left hand. "…Wait. Clouded Leopard knows how to drain spirit power, right? Can't he just pull Senpai out of there?"

"No," said Guardian Tiger. "As I said, his chi has melded with this wicked cat's. And this same cat is who taught Kulau how to extract spirit power. No doubt such a crude method developed by a yaoguai would drain spirit power indiscriminately."

"Can't we help him manually sort it or something?"

"Absolutely not!" Tiger's loud voice made me jump slightly. "Messing with the chi of a living being is already dangerous enough when done by spirits. You are just human. If something goes wrong, you will die."

Leopard Cat grinned. "C'mon old man, let him try. I'm sure he can handle me."

"Quiet, cat." Guardian Tiger gave me a stern look. "If this yaoguai wants you to do it, it must be a bad idea. I will not risk your life."

"But Lin Hu-!"

"The answer is no, Liao."

Silence fell across the room. Why is he being so difficult?! This is our only chance. I can't do this without him. What do I do?

As I was thinking, Likulau stepped forward. Lin Hu and I turned towards him. The leopard waited a bit before speaking, probably searching for the right words. "…Should help Liao. Save Liao's friend. Then Liao won't be sad."

"Don't be foolish, Kulau. There is more at risk here than Liao's happiness," said Guardian Tiger. "Do you not understand how irresponsible this is? I will not let Liao throw his life away."

Something about Tiger's words set me off. Emotion surged up from deep inside of me and… I yelled. "That's not your decision!" Lin Hu's eyes widened in surprise, and so did mine. I recovered before he did and continued. "I-I'm not throwing my life away. I'm taking responsibility for my actions. I'm the reason things ended up this way. I can't be scared to lose my own life. I can't refuse to even try because of that. Senpai didn't have a choice. I… I could never live with myself if I choose my life over his." I stared directly into Guardian Tiger's eyes.

Guardian Tiger didn't break eye contact. The staredown lasted only a few seconds before Guardian Tiger's eyes softened. "You're usually so indecisive. Only now that your life is on the line do you choose to be stubborn."

"It sounds weird when you say it like that." My shoulders relaxed slightly. "…This is something I have to do. I know it's reckless and stupid and whatever else, and I know you don't like it… but, I could really use your support."

Guardian Tiger sighed. "Of course. You always have my support, Liao. Even if you don't always have my approval. It's just… What you're doing…" Tiger's brow furrowed. "You're attempting something completely unknown to me. I just don't know if I can protect you. You should know how much that worries me."

"Lin Hu…" So that's why he's protesting so much. I gave my Guardian Tiger a small smile. "It's okay. I trust you. And I trust Kulau, too." I glanced over at the Clouded Leopard, who nodded in response. "I don't know what will happen either. But I believe in you guys. I know we can do this."

"Hmph." Guardian tiger returned my smile. "Very well. I will do my best to ensure your faith is not misplaced."

Leopard Cat groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, this is all sooo heartwarming. Can you at least put me down now?" He kicked the air a bit, though Lin Hu's arm didn't move at all in response to the small cat's struggles. Lin Hu's been holding him by the neck for a while now. I had almost forgotten about it.

Guardian Tiger looked back at me. "So, what do we do with him, Liao?"

"Umm…" I looked around the room. "We need to restrain him somehow. I don't want him hurting us, or himself."

"Restrain him? Got it." Before I could say anything else, Guardian Tiger moved Leopard Cat to my bed and unceremoniously dumped him onto it.

"H-hey, wait, what are you doing?!" said Leopard Cat.

"Hm? I'm restraining you, of course." Guardian Tiger answered him so casually as he climbed on top of the smaller cat, straddling Leopard Cat's hips. Then Guardian Tiger held down Leopard Cat's wrists, one in each hand. "There." Guardian Tiger looked at me again. "What's next?"

This is… wrong. Leopard Cat was panicking under Lin Hu's massive form, but Guardian Tiger seemed completely unfazed. I could feel my face heating up. This is straight out of one of my doujinshis. Isn't Guardian Tiger aware of how awkward this is…?

"Liao?" asked Guardian Tiger. "Is something wrong? Your face is red."

"Err… w-well… Isn't there another way to restrain him that isn't so… inappropriate?"

"Inappropriate? What's wrong with this?" Guardian Tiger glanced down at the cat underneath him. "You realize he does not have a physical body right now. Normal methods of restraint will not work."

"I know that! But…" I gestured towards them. "It looks like you're about to, you know…"

Tiger just stared blankly at me. "Liao, I know you have your fantasies, but please take this seriously. You can't solve all of your problems with sex."

"…" My mouth fell open. "S-seriously? You're going to say that _now_?"

"Focus, Liao! Your Senpai's body won't wait for us forever."

I glanced between Guardian Tiger and Leopard Cat, and then let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, fine, you're right. Kulau?" I stepped towards Leopard Cat and motioned for Clouded Leopard to follow. "Here's the plan. I'll have Lin Hu possess me. Then I want you to try draining Leopard Cat's spirit power." I looked down at the helpless cat pinned to my bed. He was looking back at me, on the verge of tears. Are these genuine emotions, or just another one of his lies? "We… we're only after Senpai's chi. Try to hold back and drain as little of Leopard Cat's own chi as possible. I… don't want him to die."

Kulau nodded. "Okay. Will try."

Guardian Tiger shot me a disapproving look. "Even knowing all of his sins, you still intend to protect this demon?"

"…I don't know," I replied. "I still have questions. But right now, I just want to save Senpai."

"…Fine," Guardian Tiger grumbled. "Let's get on with this." Tiger let go of Leopard Cat's wrists and held out one of his hands towards me. I grabbed it, and the large feline pulled me onto the bed. Warmth spread throughout my body as his spirit power flowed into me. When our bodies finished merging, I found myself in the same spot Guardian Tiger was in before. Lin Hu was in control this time. His spiritual body encased my own, like some sort of shell made of energy.

Leopard Cat's eyes widened at our combined form. "W-wait, Liao, the old man can possess you now!?"

Guardian Tiger laughed at the smaller cat. My mouth opened, but it was Lin Hu's words that came out. "Jealous, demon cat? This is strength you'll never understand. Strength from a true bond between a god and his Jitong. Kulau! You may begin."

Clouded Leopard nodded once more and moved into position, placing his left hand directly on the smaller cat's head and his right hand just above his left.

"H-hey-!" Leopard Cat attempted to grab Kulau, but Guardian Tiger pinned the smaller cat's arms down once again. Small sparks of blue energy arced down from Kulau's fingertips. The energy wrapped around Kulau's left hand, and then disappeared all at once.

The struggling stopped.

I looked down at Leopard Cat. His eyes were closed, and his mouth hung open. "Did… did we kill him?" I asked.

The answer came from my own mouth. "No. He's just unconscious." Guardian Tiger let go of Leopard Cat's arms. "I think you have the right idea here, Liao. I can sense this demon's chi much easier. Here, try it yourself."

Sounds easier said than done. "Err… How?"

"Hmm…" Guardian Tiger scratched his… our? head. "Just concentrate really hard. Imagine yourself sensing his chi and it should happen for real."

That didn't make any sense to me, but I took a deep breath and did as instructed anyway. Slowly, Leopard Cat's chi came into focus. "Ah!" It was almost like being able to see through Leopard Cat's body. Inside was a mass of dark, sinister-feeling energy. It sent a chill down my spine. "This is…?"

"Negative chi," said Guardian Tiger. "This is what makes a yaoguai a yaoguai. Most of them, anyway." Tiger laid one of our hands on Leopard Cat's chest, and before my eyes, the smaller cat's shirt disappeared. "This wicked cat's chi is unusually dark. Strange that I did not notice it before. He must have been masking it somehow." Tiger ran our hand across Leopard Cat's body. "Usually, temples keep yaoguais in check. Seems it's been a long time since anyone's cared about this one, if at all."

A wave of sadness washed over me. No one's cared about him, huh… It doesn't excuse what he's done, but maybe… Maybe things could've been different. I shook the thoughts from my head for now and focused on what was happening. Tiger continued exploring the yaoguai's body. His body felt cold to the touch, contrasting the warmth from Guardian Tiger. "Um, Lin Hu, what are you doing, exactly?"

"Searching for a weak point. If we are to separate the negative chi from your Senpai's chi, we will need to get close to the source." Guardian Tiger stopped in the middle of Leopard Cat's chest. "Here should be good. Kulau, how are you holding up?"

"…Fine. Hurry."

Clouded Leopard's voice was somewhat strained. I looked up at him. A small stream of dark chi flowed out from the middle of his left hand, feeding into a loose ball floating in the palm of his right hand. His body was trembling. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, occasionally sliding down his face. I didn't think spirits could sweat in the first place.

Meanwhile, Lin Hu's warmth intensified, spreading down our arm and out of the hand against Leopard Cat's chest. "Hm?!" Lin Hu quickly pulled his hand away. The black skin on his pads sizzled and emitted a small amount of smoke.

"Lin Hu! Are you okay? What happened?"

"Ugh… I'm fine." Guardian Tiger flexed his hand several times. "His body rejected my chi. I couldn't force my way through."

"Huh? Force your way through? What do you mean?"

Guardian Tiger had recovered by now, and he placed his hand back in the same spot on Leopard Cat's chest. "Well, if we are to free Yan Shu-Chi's soul, we must first get inside of this kitten. His outer body is protecting him, so we must break through and attack him where he is most vulnerable."

"Does it actually work like that?" I asked.

"It should," said Guardian Tiger. "Our bodies are just manifestations of large amounts of chi. Just like how my body is protecting your body right now, it is also protecting the rest of my spirit power. I imagine this kitten's body is the same way. Think of it like needing to crack an egg to get its contents."

"Err… alright." It was strange to hear Guardian Tiger comparing his body to an egg. "I just hope you can put him back together after cracking his shell, then."

Guardian Tiger laughed slightly. "Don't worry. It'll recover on its own. Our bodies aren't THAT fragile."

"So then, how will you break through? It didn't work just now," I said.

Guardian Tiger didn't answer right away. He repeatedly tapped one of his fingers against Leopard Cat's chest. "I don't like asking this, but… I'll need your help, Liao."

For some reason, his words hurt a little. "You don't like asking for my help?"

"No, no! I didn't mean…" Guardian Tiger trailed off with a sigh as he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "It's not about asking you for help. It's about what I'm asking you for help with." I still didn't understand what he was trying to say. Guardian Tiger seemed to sense my confusion. "Liao, I need to borrow some of your spirit power. It's more risk on top of an already incredibly risky endeavor. And you know I don't like putting you in danger. It goes against my purpose as a guardian."

Tiger continued. "Regardless, I know I can't change your mind. The only thing I can do is try to protect you, so it feels wrong to go against that and ask you to risk even more."

So this is because he's still worried about me. "Lin Hu… I'm sorry. I haven't been considering your feelings at all." Maybe that wasn't true. Maybe I knew what I was doing to him, and decided I didn't care. I'm not sure which is worse. "I shouldn't have forced you into this."

"It's true your approach was rather heavy-handed… But I wasn't giving you much of a choice, either," said Guardian Tiger. "I won't fault you for wanting to save your friend. I just hope you understand why I feel the way I do."

"I do now, Lin Hu. I'm glad you care so much about me," I said. "But I've already accepted the risks. I know there's a chance this could go poorly, so that's all the more reason to let me help you."

"I suppose that's true… Very well. If I need more help during this, I will not hesitate to ask," said Guardian Tiger. I could feel him smiling at me. "Are you ready to do this, then?"

I nodded. "Just tell me what to do."

"Just focus as much of your spirit power into our right arm as you possibly can." As he said that, I felt our right arm heating up once more. "Just like before, imagine it and it will happen."

"Okay." It still sounded strange to me, but it worked the last time… I closed my eyes and concentrated on the energy within me, trying to draw from every corner of my body and mix it with Lin Hu's. Suddenly, my legs started to shake under my body weight, and I struggled to draw in my next breath. I opened my eyes in a panic and gasped for air.

"Careful, Liao! Don't push yourself further or you'll pass out," said Guardian Tiger. "I dislike having to use your spirit power like this… Just let me take over for now."

Guardian Tiger's spirit energy caught me as I relaxed my body. My strength gradually returned, though I couldn't shake a lingering weakness. "That took a lot out of me."

Guardian Tiger smiled, causing me to smile as well. "I'm not surprised. You dumped a lot more spirit power than I expected you to. You did a good job." Tiger's expression quickly turned serious. "Unfortunately, there is no time to rest. I'm going to try forcing my way through again, so brace yourself." I held my breath as I felt the warmth that had built up in our arm rush downward into Leopard Cat. I hope this works…


	2. Chapter 2

The next thing I knew, I was lying face down on the bed. My right arm was freezing. Attempting to move it felt like it was surrounded by some sort of thick liquid. "W-what's-?"

"Sorry. I did not expect this kitten's body to give in so easily this time." Guardian Tiger pushed against the bed with our left arm, though even with all of his strength he only managed to pull us up enough to glance down at Leopard Cat's body. "But it worked. We're in."

My eyes widened at the sight. Our entire arm seemed to be buried deep in Leopard Cat's chest. "S-so, this feeling is…?"

"His negative chi, yes." Guardian Tiger began moving our right arm around, pushing through the liquid chi. It offered far less resistance compared to earlier. Seems this stuff inside Leopard Cat doesn't want us leaving. "I bet it feels cold to you, yes? Don't worry. It'll be uncomfortable but you won't freeze."

Every move Guardian Tiger made felt like thousands of tiny, icy needles were pricking my skin. Despite what he said, the cold spread throughout my body. I couldn't stop myself from shivering. "What are you s-searching for?"

"I'm not sure," said Guardian Tiger. "Something. Anything. So far this is just a dark ocean of nothingness." As if to mock Guardian Tiger, our hand brushed up against something smooth and round. "Hmph. Never mind." Guardian Tiger grabbed the object, and as he did, a surge of energy shot through our arm.

Static-filled scenes invaded my mind. Faces that I didn't recognize. People smiling and laughing with each other. The quality of the scenes deteriorated as they came faster and faster. I couldn't keep up with what was happening until the scenes abruptly stopped. The last thing I saw was a person. Their head was in my lap. My hand moved on its own, brushing a strand of their hair back into place and then resting on their forehead. The edges of the scene darkened. The person looked up at me and smiled. And then, nothing.

I blinked and found myself staring back down at my bed again. "W-what the hell was that?"

"A memory, no doubt." Guardian Tiger released the object still in our right hand. Whatever power contained in it before was gone. "Likely a remnant from one of this wicked cat's previous victims."

"So, that person…?"

"Don't dwell on it, Liao. There's nothing you can do about it." Guardian Tiger continued his search. "The memory wasn't from Yan Shu-Chi. We need to keep looking."

"Right…"

The more Guardian Tiger searched, the more memories like the first one we found. Some were happy. Some weren't. Some memories crumbled in our hand before we had a chance to view them. But we didn't have time to search them all. As soon as we figured out they weren't from Senpai, Guardian Tiger threw the memories away. I could feel him getting more and more frustrated with each new memory, tossing them aside with considerably more force than before. "Lin Hu?"

Guardian Tiger didn't answer right away. His search for new memories did not slow down. Finally, he spoke. "…I apologize, Liao. I should have more control." He sighed, and the anger in his actions subsided. "Seeing so much life extinguished for the sake of this selfish yaoguai's desire for power is… frustrating."

"You don't have to apologize for that, Lin Hu. It's… hard for me, too." I looked back down at the unconscious Leopard Cat. He looked calm, despite what was going on inside of him. "It feels… unreal. Seeing all the bad things he's done. It's not something that the Leopard Cat I knew would do."

"You saw the side of him that he wanted you to see," said Guardian Tiger. "The side we saw may very well exist, but you can't ignore reality. This is who he is."

He was right, of course. I thought about everything while Guardian Tiger worked in silence. What are we supposed to do about him? It was impossible for me to think straight right now. My eyes felt heavy, and my body still felt so cold. An immense pressure in my chest made it difficult to breathe. At least the shivering stopped… Maybe I can just take a nap and let Tiger finish this stuff… he seems to know what he's doing. I closed my eyes and let Guardian Tiger's spirit energy catch me again. His body felt so warm.

I heard Guardian Tiger's voice, but it was hard to understand him. "Liao? What are you doing? If you fall asleep, you'll break the possession." Guardian Tiger's giant hand pressed up against my chest and shook my body a few times.

Kulau spoke next. "What wrong with Liao?"

"I'm not sure. He feels cold, but that's just from being in contact with so much negative chi. It shouldn't have any real effect on him."

"Can help. Will warm him up."

"That's not the problem, Kulau. Just keep this yaoguai's chi flowing. I don't want to know what happens if you stop while Liao's arm is this far inside of him." Warmth spread from Guardian Tiger's hand once again, soaking into my chest. Gradually, the pressure restricting my lungs disappeared. The cold retreated, leaving behind only Tiger's presence. "Liao's spirit power is dangerously low… He did use a lot earlier, but he should've recovered by now."

"Spirit power drained? Leopard Cat's doing."

"Impossible! My power was protecting him the whole time. I would have noticed."

"But did not. Only way this happen."

"Are you doubting my ability to protect Liao?!"

"Yes."

My eyes fluttered open as the world came back into focus. Every heartbeat sent a dull pain shooting throughout my body. At least I could breathe now. "Ugh… I feel terrible." I lifted myself up on an unsteady left arm and glanced up at Kulau. The Clouded Leopard was already staring at me with his usual neutral expression. "Guys, what happened?"

"I don't know." Tiger's voice came from my mouth again. "Kulau thinks this yaoguai was draining your spirit power, even while unconscious and under my protection."

"Only way," said Kulau.

Guardian Tiger ignored Kulau. "Just… tell me what you remember, Liao."

"Um, alright. It's a bit fuzzy though," I said. "I remember being really cold. But you told me that was normal. Then I started feeling really weak and tired. It felt like I was about to pass out." In fact, I still felt a bit weak.

"Hmm…" Guardian Tiger growled thoughtfully. "That certainly sounds like you were having your spirit power drained… but how? And why didn't I notice?"

"Told you," said Kulau.

Guardian Tiger let out a frustrated sigh. "I will make sure it does not happen again." As he spoke, a large amount of pressure built in our right arm. The shell that was Guardian Tiger's arm thickened, protecting my own arm with additional layers of his spirit energy. The chill surrounding my arm vanished completely. His excess spirit energy was expelled outward, creating a violent shockwave that rumbled the insides of Leopard Cat and pushed back his negative chi in a wide radius. "That should give us some breathing room."

The force of Guardian Tiger's spirit power surprised me. "Woah, how'd you do that?"

"Hm?" Guardian Tiger resumed his search once more. "I just released a large amount of spirit power."

"But why did it react like that?"

"Oh, that," said Guardian Tiger. "…It's sort of like air. In simplest terms, when you mix really warm air with really cold air on a large scale, you get a storm. Positive chi and negative chi mixing reacts somewhat similarly. The more chi you push together, the more violent it reacts. Of course, chi does not have temperature in the traditional sense. What you felt was just your body's interpretation of how our chi feels."

"As for this..." Guardian Tiger motioned towards the chi inside of Leopard Cat. Small sparks arced between the two clouds of energy as they swirled around each other. "It'll be unstable for a while as my chi battles with this wicked cat's. Once a balance has been attained it will form a new type of chi and reside within Leopard Cat."

"I see… I think I understand now." I said. "You sure know a lot about this stuff."

Guardian Tiger let out a small chuckle. "Well it is basic knowledge for a being composed entirely of spirit energy. I am quite familiar with how chi mixes." Tiger's smile faded. "…And I am also familiar with how it does not separate." My shoulders fell. I'm sure he was talking about Senpai. "…Regardless, we have already come this far. We might as well see your crazy plan through." I let out a small laugh and smiled. I'm glad Lin Hu's putting up with all of this. "In fact… this gives me an idea of my own."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain it later. For now, we really need to find one of Shu-Chi's memories." Guardian Tiger increased the speed of his search. Despite his efforts, we still had nothing to show for it. To make matters worse, the memories grew scarcer the further we explored. Tiger growled his frustration. "How annoying… He's hidden these well."

No sooner than the words left our mouth, our hand brushed against another memory orb. I gasped as a bolt of energy much stronger than any of the past memories shot up my arm.

My vision went black.

Pieces of the world slowly came into focus. Flashing, colorful lights. Arcade machines and their electronic noises combined with the voices of blurry patrons merging into a mess of unintelligible chatter. The last thing to come into focus was… my own face.

"W-what…?"

Leopard Cat's voice came from the mouth that wasn't mine. "C'mon, Liao! Over here!" A furry hand reached out and grabbed mine, pulling me towards one of the dance machines in the back of the arcade. "Ever played on one of these?"

"No, I haven't. I don't have the money to come here often." I watched myself survey the machine. It was one of those dancing games where you tried to mimic what the character on screen did. "Besides, why would we play this? We already dance nearly every day."

"No way, this is totally different!" Leopard Cat stood in the center of empty area in front of the machine. "Just watch me."

This is exactly like my date with Senpai… or Leopard Cat, I guess, from a few days ago… I watched all of the familiar details play out. Senpai danced flawlessly, and then I watched my own sub-par performance from his point of view. He never once laughed at my mistakes or my awkward motions. My heart sank as more of the memory played. Leopard Cat's voice, his face, his emotions… I could feel everything he was feeling.

Leopard Cat wiped away his tears and took a few deep breaths. "I'm so glad you went on this date with me, Liao. No matter what happens, at least I know you care about me."

My chest tightened. Tears of my own threatened to fall, and I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I don't understand this anymore. Leopard Cat said everything was a lie… but this felt so real.

The rest of the memory finished playing. The final image of me and Guardian Tiger, just before Leopard Cat left to return home, lingered for a few seconds before slowly burning away.

"Hmph. This kitten puts on a convincing performance," said Guardian Tiger.

"After all that, you still think he's lying?" Guardian Tiger must've seen the whole thing with me. Did he not feel the same things I did? He was spying on us the whole date, but he probably couldn't hear what we were saying. This should've painted a different picture.

"…Yes. I admit, it felt genuine. But you must understand that that is the point. He must be able to fool his prey. That is how the kitten survives and grows stronger."

"I know… but…" I glanced back down at Leopard Cat's face. "I just want to hear the truth from him."

Guardian Tiger scoffed. "This kitten's been lying to you since the first day he met you. Even his words today were lies."

Wait… today? "What do you mean, Lin Hu?"

"Can't you feel it?" Guardian Tiger squeezed the memory orb still in his hand. It released a large cloud accompanied by a few sparks into the surrounding negative chi. For a split second, I felt something different. Energy that wasn't Leopard Cat's. His body quickly attacked the foreign energy, but unlike with Lin Hu's, the cloud from the memory put up almost no resistance. Soon, the chi had completely disappeared and became indistinguishable from the rest of the energy around us

"I see… so that's how it works. No wonder I couldn't sense any of Yan Shu-Chi in this mess." The orb in Guardian Tiger's hand still crackled with energy, seemingly unaffected by what just happened.

"Was that… Senpai? Did you just… feed part of him to Leopard Cat?!"

"…Yes and no. Yan Shu-Chi is already fully inside of this kitten. All I did was release a little bit from this memory." Guardian Tiger rolled the orb around in his palm, carefully inspecting the surface with his fingers. "What I don't understand is, why is there so much chi in here? He should have absorbed it by now.

"This memory is from just a few days ago. Maybe he hasn't had time?"

Guardian Tiger shook his head. "No. It would take little effort on his part to drain Yan Shu-Chi and be done with it. And what you said just now. Don't you find it strange, Liao?"

"Strange?"

"Think about it." Guardian Tiger tapped the orb in our hands with his thumb. "This memory is most definitely your Senpai's. It's saturated with his energy. Do you think a body with no soul, inhabited by a yaoguai, would be capable of forming new memories for itself?"

It did seem strange now that Guardian Tiger pointed it out. "Does that mean… Senpai's still alive?"

"Liao… You saw his body yourself. You know the answer to that."

"Oh. R-right…" How could I forget that? My shoulders sank as the image of Senpai laying on the floor reappeared in my mind.

"But this is still good news for us, Liao. It means your Senpai was, in some way, very much alive just a few days ago. Our chance of success just went way up."

"Really?!"

"Don't get your hopes up just yet. Extracting his soul from this kitten still won't be easy. But if we can do that…"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I could barely contain my excitement. A strange mixture of eagerness and dread swirled around of me, settling into a lump in the pit of my stomach.

"Hold on. I still have no idea how to separate Yan Shu-Chi's and this kitten's energies." Guardian Tiger squeezed the orb in his hands once more. Just like before, a cloud of energy was released and quickly absorbed.

"But we're so close, Lin Hu! We can't give up now."

Lin Hu laughed. "I never said anything about giving up, Liao. I told you I had a plan." As he said that, Guardian Tiger began pouring spirit power out of his hand and onto Senpai's memory orb, coating the surface of it in a thick layer of his energy. "I've noticed this kitten's body has trouble absorbing my chi. Maybe I can use that to my advantage."

Guardian Tiger squeezed the orb a third time, harder than any of the previous attempts. The memory released a massive cloud of chi, however, this time it was encompassed by a shell of Guardian Tiger's spirit energy. The inside of Leopard Cat rumbled intensely, as if Guardian Tiger had triggered an earthquake. Negative chi swarmed us from every direction, collecting on the surface of the sphere created by Guardian Tiger. Sparks arced from the friction between the opposing forces, and I could feel the surface of Lin Hu's chi eroding against the negative chi's influence.

Guardian Tiger grunted against the pressure. "This kitten's putting up more of a fight than I expected." Surges of energy pulsed down our arm. Lin Hu seemed to be struggling to replenish the energy Leopard Cat was stealing. I wish I could help him somehow, but I have no idea what to do. "But… it's working…!"

"No way…" I couldn't believe it. Small amounts of chi had begun seeping through Lin Hu's barrier. It was identical to the chi inside of the memory orb. My wonder was short-lived, however, as the flow of chi suddenly stopped. Lin Hu let out a frustrated growl before withdrawing, pushing all of Senpai's energy back into the memory orb and absorbing his own spirit power back into his body. The rapid uptake of energy seared Guardian Tiger's hand, and he reflexively let go of Senpai's orb. Thanks to Tiger's protection I didn't feel anything other than the intense warmth of spirit power flowing back into our bodies. Meanwhile, Guardian Tiger was gasping for breath.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine." Guardian Tiger felt around inside of Leopard Cat for the memory orb he had dropped, scooping it back into our hand. "Just used up a lot of spirit power. Not sure how much of that I can take."

"We didn't recover much of Senpai, either…"

"Unfortunately. But it wasn't a wasted effort. We proved it was possible. We just need to do it better." Guardian Tiger said it so casually that I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "We're also running out of time. Kulau's almost at his limit, and my spirit power won't last forever. Our next attempt will likely be our last."

I glanced up at the Clouded Leopard. He looked much worse than before, like he was barely holding on. All of his focus was on Leopard Cat and the stream of negative chi flowing out of him. The ball of chi in Kulau's hand hadn't grown much. Whatever he was doing was working, but it was taking a toll on his body.

"…Alright. What's the plan, then?" I asked. Guardian Tiger was already on the move, searching through Leopard Cat's body again. At the same time, I could feel his spirit power building up in our arm.

"As I said, we're going to do what we did before, but better. I'll need time to concentrate my remaining spirit power," said Guardian Tiger. "This kitten puts up a good fight. Even though I am stronger than he is, I'm fighting against all of his energy with about half of mine."

That made sense. Leopard Cat had the home advantage here, and Lin Hu pouring all of his spirit power into the smaller cat seemed like a bad idea to me. After all, he needed spirit power to maintain his form. "Can I help? I'm feeling much better now."

"Hrm… A little extra spirit power could make a huge difference. But are you sure you're feeling okay now?"

I nodded even though I knew Guardian Tiger couldn't see it. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"…Okay. Just promise me you won't push yourself too hard. If you feel lightheaded or weak again, you should stop immediately."

"Alright, I promise."

The back of our hand brushed up against something. Another memory flooded my mind, this time of our trip to the hot springs. Through Leopard Cat's eyes, I saw him floating around the steamy water occasionally splashing it at me and the other two cats. Leopard Cat was mainly focused on me, however, I did have a nice view of Clouded Leopard's exposed body from this angle. …Wait.

The memory faded. Guardian Tiger was already inspecting the orb with his hand. "This one does not have as much power in it as the other, but it still has more than it should."

I heard what he said, but I was already focused on something else. "Hey, Lin Hu… are you sure these are Senpai's memories?"

"Absolutely. You do not store your own memories in your chest, do you?"

"Well, no… There's just something I don't understand. If these are Senpai's memories, why am I seeing you and Kulau in them?"

"That's…" Guardian Tiger paused. "Huh. I didn't realize it until your brought it up, but that IS strange. Perhaps being possessed by this kitten allowed Yan Shu-Chi to see other spirits."

"If this works… is he gonna remember you guys?"

"It's unlikely Yan Shu-Chi was able to see spirits before this. Assuming he does remember what happened this month, it will probably feel no more real than a dream," said Guardian Tiger. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still haven't saved him yet." As he spoke, Guardian Tiger enveloped the two memory orbs with his spirit energy and pushed them against each other. The surfaces of the orbs warped against the pressure before collapsing altogether. In place of the two orbs now stood a single orb containing the energy of both. "Just as I thought. The form may be different, but chi is still chi. That makes things easier."

"What did you do?" I asked. "And how did you find another one of Senpai's memories so quickly?" It had taken forever for us to find the first one, but Tiger seemed to have known exactly where to find the next.

"I simply merged the two memories. They are the same energy from the same body, so they already belong together," said Guardian Tiger. He grabbed the combined orbs and started in a new direction. "As for how I found the next memory… Once we found the first, the auras of the others were revealed to me. It's like… once you know what you're looking for, it becomes easier to locate."

What Tiger said did make sense to me. It's clear I still had a lot to learn about all this chi stuff. After his explanation, the two of us explored the rest of Leopard Cat's body, collecting the rest of Senpai's memories along the way. In the span of a few minutes, I relived all of the important events that had happened in the last month, but through Leopard Cat's eyes. Eventually, we had gathered all of the memories Guardian Tiger could sense.

Meanwhile, a massive amount of Tiger's spirit power had gathered in our right arm. I added as much of my own as I could, but it felt like drops in a bucket compared to what Tiger had produced.

"Alright, it's time. Are you ready, Liao?" asked Guardian Tiger.

"Yeah. Let's do this," I replied.

Guardian Tiger maneuvered us one last time towards what I assumed was the top of Leopard Cat's body. I could feel the surrounding negative chi flowing around us.

"This is the point where the chi being drained by Kulau is leaving the kitten's body," said Guardian Tiger. "After we've extracted the last of your Senpai's chi, we'll release it here for Kulau to collect. Then we'll need to get out of here, fast."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Releasing so much of your Senpai's chi this close to the draining point will be like opening a floodgate. Kulau will not be able to hold back anymore," explained Guardian Tiger. "And yet, it is necessary. Otherwise Yan Shu-Chi's energy will simply be reabsorbed by this cat's body. We'll only have a short window to pull your arm out of Leopard Cat before our access point closes."

I swallowed. I don't think I want to find out what happens if my arm ends up stuck in here.

"All we need to do now is reach as much of this cat's chi as possible with my remaining spirit power. I just need to figure out the best way to approach this…"

"Oh." Something suddenly came to me. "Well, if you want to cover a lot of area, you should make a bunch of spikes rather than using a sphere. You end up with a lot more surface area compared to volume so you should have an easier time reaching more negative chi," I said. Guardian Tiger's eyes widened and he blinked a few times in response. "What? It's something I learned in class a while back when we talked about surface area."

"I'm just surprised that you paid attention in class," said Guardian Tiger bluntly. "You seem to have issues with that."

"Only recently, and only because of you guys!" I said in response. They really have been an almost constant distraction since their arrival.

"Liao, I've been watching you for far longer than a month. I admit we've caused you a few problems, but you can't blame this all on us."

"Ugh, whatever!" I could feel my face heating up. I forgot Tiger's been around me my whole life, making it impossible to hide my bad habits from him. "You know what to do, let's just start already."

Guardian Tiger smiled. "Very well."

Power rushed out from the surface of Guardian Tiger's arm. Dozens of thin spikes of energy pierced downwards into Leopard Cat's negative chi. As Guardian Tiger's energy spread further, each spike branched off into additional spikes. After only a few seconds, a vast network of Tiger's chi had materialized inside of Leopard Cat.

And that's when hell broke loose. Initially pushed back by the force of Tiger's expanding energy, Leopard Cat's chi came back in full force, slamming against the intruding energy from every direction. Guardian Tiger grunted heavily against the assault. Each impact chipped away at Tiger's spirit power, however, this time he had built up enough reserve energy to withstand the attacks.

Just like before, every bit of Tiger's energy stolen by Leopard Cat's body left behind some of Senpai's energy, energy that Lin Hu quickly pulled in. Massive streams of chi flowed in from all over and converged on the orb still held in Tiger's hand. I almost couldn't believe what was happening, despite experiencing nearly the same thing just a short while ago.

"!" Tiger's eyes widened. For a brief moment, I felt a chill run through Tiger's network. A small amount of dark energy rushed towards the orb and was forced into it with the rest of Senpai's chi. The contents of the orb darkened and rumbled in protest, but quickly returned to normal.

"Lin Hu? What was that?"

"Sorry, Liao. I let some of this kitten's chi leak through. It should be fine as long as I don't let too much in," responded Guardian Tiger. "But I'm burning spirit power way too quickly." As Tiger said that, I felt the edges of his energy network shrinking. No, shrinking wasn't accurate. It's more like it was… dissolving. His extended spirit power wasn't returning to our bodies, it was just disappearing faster and faster into Leopard Cat. "I'm almost at my limit here."

Sure enough, Lin Hu's network of energy was already down to half its original size. The flow of Senpai's chi was slowing as well. More and more bits of negative chi were leaking through. Tiger's breathing became labored as he tried to keep up. Whole sections of his network started collapsing, sending surges of negative chi towards us. Unable to replenish the missing spirit power, Tiger severed his connection with the compromised areas. Huge chunks of his spirit power vanished in seconds, lost to the void of Leopard Cat's body.

"I'm gonna have to call it here soon, Liao. I don't have much left," said Tiger. Despite what he said, Tiger didn't withdraw his remaining spirit power. Instead he continued drawing in as much of Senpai's energy as he could manage. "Brace yourself, Kulau."

Kulau just nodded in response, and with that, Tiger let out a cry as he applied all of his might against the orb in his hand. The orb groaned against the pressure as the surface of it cracked in several places.

"Lin Hu, you're gonna crush it!" I said.

"That's the idea!" he yelled back. Senpai's spirit power started to leak from the cracks. The entire surface of the orb was crumbling against Tiger's effort, and with one last yell, what was left of the orb shattered. It was just as Lin Hu predicted. All the spirit power we had collected exploded into the surrounding area, knocking both Leopard Cat's and Lin Hu's energy away. "Kulau! Now!"

Kulau sensed the change in atmosphere and was already making his move. His restraint from earlier was gone, replaced by a whirlwind of energy leaving Leopard Cat's body. Even parts of Lin Hu's arm were being stripped away by the force of Kulau's draining.

Seeing his chance, Guardian Tiger pushed against the grip of Leopard Cat's body. He lifted our bodies enough to be able to press our left hand against Leopard Cat's shoulder and used the smaller cat's body as a foothold to pull our arm free. As soon as we were out, Guardian Tiger jumped off of the bed and away from Leopard Cat. I immediately felt Tiger's spirit energy leave my body, and I turned around in time to watch him stumble backwards and crumple against the wall.


	3. Chapter 3

"Lin Hu!" I yelled and ran up to him. His eyes were closed, and form was almost entirely transparent. I knelt down beside him and reached to touch his shoulder only to have my hand pass through his body. Dread radiated from the pit of my stomach. "…Lin Hu?" I repeated. Guardian Tiger groaned in response. His eyes fluttered open, and he rubbed the back of his head as if the impact with the wall actually hurt him. "Are… are you alright? I can barely see you…"

"I'll be fine, Liao. I just used up a lot of spirit power," said Tiger. He tried to stand using the wall for support, but fell back down to one knee. "Bring my statue over here, please. I need to rest."

I did as Tiger asked and retrieved his statue from across the room. While I was walking, I glanced over at Kulau. The Clouded Leopard still stood above Leopard Cat with his hands near the smaller cat's forehead. The small, dark stream of chi had been replaced by a much larger stream of fluorescent green chi. It was mesmerizing, watching a seemingly endless amount of energy being packed into a palm-sized ball, but I snapped out of it and returned to Tiger with his statue in hand. As soon as I brought the statue close, what was left of Tiger's spirit power disappeared inside of it.

Kulau seemed to be finishing up as I turned back around. The last of the green-colored chi left Leopard Cat's body, and the dark-colored chi from earlier returned. However, Kulau was quick to react. He severed the stream of dark chi before it could reach the ball in his hand and then jumped away from Leopard Cat. Leopard Cat's body remained motionless on my bed.

I stepped towards Kulau, and he turned to face me. The green orb filled with Senpai's chi floated in the air above his hands. Most of the fluorescence had worn off, with the orb now casting a dim glow onto Kulau's chest. Kulau looked down at the orb, and then back at me, and then held the orb out awkwardly towards me. "Here."

"Uhh…" I motioned at Guardian Tiger's statue still in my hands. "J-just hold onto it for now, Kulau." Kulau nodded and retracted his arms back to hold the orb closer to his body. "Is that… Senpai's soul?" I peered at the orb. Beneath the surface I could see faint swirls of darker chi, but otherwise its contents seemed calm.

Guardian Tiger's voice echoed from the depths of the statue. "In essence, yes. It's just hard to say what effects that kitten's body had on it. Regardless, that doesn't change our plan."

This whole thing was starting to make me feel uneasy, but I couldn't tell why. Something just didn't feel right. I tried to shake the feeling by asking a different question. "Did we at least get all of him out?"

"From what I can sense, yes," said Guardian Tiger. "I even sacrificed more spirit power than necessary to ensure I got it all. Foolish on my part… but I wanted to be sure."

Wow. He did all of that for my sake. And from how bad he looked afterwards… I was honestly scared that I might lose him. I swallowed. "Thank you, Lin Hu. For everything you've done. I'm glad you're okay." Even though Tiger's physical form wasn't present, I could somehow tell he was smiling. "You too, Kulau. Thank you."

Kulau just nodded again with his usual stern expression. That's when I noticed… he looked completely normal. He had almost completely recovered from his earlier exhaustion as if he hadn't struggled with Leopard Cat at all. The only remnants of his efforts were a few patches of glistening fur. I suppose he hadn't expended as much spirit power as Guardian Tiger, but still, his recovery was impressive.

"Kulau," sounded Tiger's voice. "Can you please escort Liao to his Senpai? I do not have the strength for it right now."

"Okay," said Kulau.

"Liao, you can just leave my statue here. There's no need for you to carry me all the way there and back. I wouldn't be able to help you two anyway."

I did as Tiger said and placed his statue back on its shelf. "Will you be alright here, alone with Leopard Cat? What if he tries something?" I glanced over at the unconscious cat. The slight rise and fall of his chest was the only indication that he was still alive. Well, that, and the fact that he still had a physical form.

"It's fine. This kitten will stay unconscious until his body adapts to my spirit power. I'll regain my strength long before that happens," said Guardian Tiger. "Besides, with so much of my spirit power inside of him, he will be easy to control."

"If you're sure you'll be fine, then I guess I'll leave him to you," I said. "If he wakes up before we get back, try to keep him here. I still have questions for him."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays put. I intend to keep him on a short leash from now on," said Tiger. "After all… he is partially my responsibility now. I can't have him giving my spirit power a bad name."

I'm not quite sure what Guardian Tiger meant, but I guess it doesn't matter right now. "Alright. I guess Kulau and I will be off then."

"Wait. You two may want to conceal that energy somehow, lest you attract unwanted attention. A human and an aborigine carrying a human soul around will do more than raise a few eyebrows."

Guardian Tiger had a point. I hadn't considered the possibility that other yaoguai might try to attack us on our way to Senpai. Kulau may be able to defend himself, but if a bunch of them attacked us at once… I shivered at the thought, and then looked around the room for something we could use to hide Senpai's soul.

"Ah, what about this?" I said as I picked up the backpack that I had used to carry the Tung blossoms home a while back.

"…I suppose it's better than nothing," said Guardian Tiger.

I stepped over to Kulau and had him carefully lower the ball of energy inside. Then I put the backpack on and held my hand out towards Clouded Leopard. "Ready?"

Kulau's answer was to grab my hand. His body disappeared as his spirit power flowed into me for the fourth time today. Kulau seemed to be getting used to my body. His movements, while still awkward, were not as stiff as they used to be. The two of us left room and stepped once again into the spirit path underneath my room. Kulau bounds through the foggy space, much more confident in his steps this time around. In no time at all, we had reached our destination, and Kulau stepped out of the spirit path.

We emerged under yet another staircase. Were all staircases connected by spirit paths or something? I recognized the surroundings from one of Kulau's visions, the ones we had when we searched for Senpai earlier. This was definitely Senpai's apartment complex. Kulau exited my body and stood next to me. And then I realized…

"Err, Kulau? Did you happen to see Senpai's apartment number in one of your visions?"

"…" Kulau's brow furrowed. Does he know what I'm talking about? I was about to clarify what I was asking, but then he shook his head.

Great. I let out a sigh. I guess we could try asking the manager or something… but that could backfire big time. If the manager escorts us to Senpai's room and finds him dead on the floor, it'll ruin our chance to save him. It'd be better if no one saw us at all.

"You there. Young man." I froze. A voice I'd heard before called out to me. A flash of white, blue, and green dropped down from somewhere above me. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, it's you!" It was the canine god from earlier. What was his name again? "Hynos, right?"

"Yes, that's correct," said Hynos. The canine eyed the Clouded Leopard next to me, and in response Kulau assumed a fighting stance. Hynos did not react to Kulau's defensive behavior. Instead his gaze returned to study me. "Did I not protect you from this same aborigine just a short while ago? Why are you with him again? Has he kidnapped you?"

"N-no, nothing like that!" I waved my hands in an attempt to deescalate the situation. "He's my friend. We just… had a small misunderstanding, that's all. Everything's alright now, there's no need for any more fighting." Kulau glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, refusing to turn away from the spirit in front of him. "It's okay, Kulau. You can relax."

Hynos' eyes flickered back and forth between Kulau and I several times. Kulau was hesitant at first, but he eventually lowered his arms. However, he didn't take his eyes off of the city guardian.

"Good," said Hynos. "Fighting each other is a waste of time. As long as he is not causing problems for the city or its people, then we have no issue with his presence. Now…" Hynos turned his attention back to me. "Just who are you two? When I felt all that spirit power rushing towards me, I thought for sure I was being attacked. I certainly did not expect a human and an aborigine."

"Ahaha… Sorry about that." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "I'm Lin Tian-Liao, and my friend here is Likulau. We didn't mean to scare you. It's just a coincidence we ran into you here."

"I'm not so sure of that," said Hynos. The canine spirit sniffed the air a few times. "You reek of the yaoguai I've been hunting. Care to explain why?"

"Yaoguai? Are you talking about Leopard Cat?"

"The one who's been stealing human souls? Yes. You've had contact with him?"

"Yeah… you could say that," I said. Kulau nodded as well.

"Hmm…" Hynos sniffed the air once more. "You do have exceptional spirit power. For a human, anyway. It's no surprise he sought you out. You were bound to attract someone like him sooner or later."

Hynos' words were unnerving. I'm glad I had both Lin Hu and Kulau to protect me, but I certainly hope this won't be a common thing. I don't want to have to be wary of every new person I meet…

"By the way… What is that in your backpack?"

My shoulders stiffened. I should've known a city guardian would notice us carrying around a ball of spirit energy, but hearing him question it still made me panic. "Uhh…" My mind blanked. This probably looks really bad to him. A foreigner and a human carrying around what he most certainly knows is another human's soul. The fact that Hynos displayed absolute calmness did not help.

Kulau must have sensed my uneasiness, because he ended up reaching behind me and pulling out Senpai's soul. It floated above his hands just like before. He took a few steps towards Hynos to show the city guardian what it was.

"So, I was not mistaken after all…" said Hynos. He stared at the floating green energy but made no attempt to take it. "Meddling with human souls is a serious offense, one that the city does not take lightly. You better have a good explanation for this. Especially since that soul has been steeped in yaoguai chi."

"Y-yeah, we have it for a good reason," I explained. "We're… returning it to its owner."

"And the owner is… here?" asked Hynos. I just nodded in response. "…I see. I think I understand now. Why you are here. Why you smell like the yaoguai I have been hunting. You are carrying the soul of the last young man that yaoguai inhabited, are you not?"

All I could do was nod again. Hynos continued. "How remarkable. You managed to recover a stolen soul before that yaoguai could devour it? How?"

"Ah, well… the whole thing's kind of a long story. But the short answer is, we didn't. Me, Kulau, and my Guardian Tiger had to pull it out of Leopard Cat's body."

Hynos tilted his head at my answer. If I could see his eyebrows, I'm sure at least one of them would be raised. "…You are serious?"

For the first time since Hynos appeared, Kulau spoke. "Liao telling truth. Was there. I help."

"Sorry, I just find all this quite hard to believe," said Hynos. "You not only found the yaoguai I've been hunting for years, but you also managed to recover a soul thought to be completely lost. How did you manage all of this? Explain every detail."

"Err… I don't mind doing that, but…" I motioned towards the soul in Kulau's hands. "Can we do it later?" I actually had several questions of my own for Hynos, but that would have to wait until later. Besides, talking about this out in public was probably not a good idea.

"Ah, yes, of course. You should probably return that first," said Hynos. "I must see this with my own eyes."

Hynos didn't seem to be asking, as he was already on his way upstairs. Not like I would refuse a request from a city guardian anyways, and if he knew which room was Senpai's it would save us some trouble. Kulau looked at me, and I just shrugged. "C'mon, Kulau. Let's just follow him."

The three of us walked up a couple flights of stairs, with Hynos leading the way and Kulau and I walking side by side. As we climbed, something strange happened to Senpai's chi. The energy inside started moving excitedly, twisting and swirling around itself. It reminded me of a star, albeit an extremely tiny one.

"Why's it doing that?" I asked.

Hynos answered without turning around. "Your friend's soul remembers its original vessel. That is good for him."

By the time we reached the fourth floor, Senpai's chi had grown restless. The excited swirling turned chaotic, creating visible sparks that darted along the surface between pockets of concentrated chi. Kulau was staring down at it intensely.

Hynos had stopped climbing and was now walking down the fourth floor hall. He did not check behind him to see if we were following him, and eventually he disappeared behind one of the closed doors.

Kulau and I ran up to the door Hynos had phased through. As we drew closer, Senpai's soul progressed from chaotic to violent. Several strands of chi flared out from the rest, only to be sucked through the cracks of what I assumed was the door to Senpai's apartment.

"This must be the place…" Senpai's body was right through this door… I took a deep breath and reached for the handle. "Huh… it's unlocked." The handle turned effortlessly. Had Hynos unlocked the door? I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt the blood drain from my face. I knew what awaited me beyond Senpai's door, but I still wasn't prepared to see him up close. Senpai lay motionless on the floor, illuminated only by his vibrating phone. My body refused to move. All I could do was stare down at Senpai in horror until, eventually, his phone stopped vibrating. A few seconds later, his phone screen dimmed, plunging Senpai's form into darkness.

I blinked. The change in lighting broke whatever spell was holding me, so I stepped further inside and tried to find a light switch. Once the lights were on, I noticed Kulau standing outside the doorway, just looking at me.

"What are you doing, Kulau?" As soon as I said that, I remembered spirits needed to be invited inside of another person's home. "Right, I forgot. Err… come in?" Will this even work? This isn't my home… I don't know if I have the authority to invite a god into Senpai's apartment.

Kulau wasn't convinced either. He glanced down at the doorway with uncertainty, and then back up at me. What even happens to a god if they try to enter someone's home uninvited?

"Oh, just come in already. It's fine. I grant you permission," said Hynos. The canine guardian was kneeling down beside Senpai, studying his body.

Despite the invitation, Kulau still took a hesitant step inside and… nothing happened. Seems at least one of our invitations worked. I shut the door behind Kulau, and the two of us stepped over to Hynos.

"I thought gods had to be invited to enter someone else's home. How come you were able to walk in ahead of us?"

Hynos stood up to meet us. "Would it not be stranger for a servant of the City God to need permission to enter a residence under his domain?"

"I… guess so? Sorry, I'm kinda new to all this god stuff."

"Well, in most cases you would be correct," said Hynos. "But city guardians need unrestricted access so that it does not interfere with our duties. We are trusted with that responsibility."

"Makes sense." I knelt down next to Senpai, as Hynos had earlier. Being this close to his body still freaked me out a bit. I held the back of my hand near his mouth to see if he was breathing. It was faint and slow… but I definitely felt something. Next, I held two fingers against his neck. Just like his breathing, his pulse was weak, but not nonexistent. At least he's alive…

"By the way, I've concluded my investigation. You may proceed with whatever you planned to do here."

"Already? That was fast," I said. Hynos was only in here for five minutes at the most. That didn't seem like enough time for a thorough investigation.

"I've seen this enough times to know what to look for. This case is nothing special."

Figures Hynos had seen this before. He said he's been hunting Leopard Cat… I wonder how many other victims he's examined by now. "Are you like, some kind of detective?" I asked.

"I am what the City God needs me to be," replied Hynos. "Detective. Yaoguai Hunter. Peacekeeper. He names it and I do it."

"I see…" Hynos' loyalty and dedication was impressive. "So… what did you find out? From investigating Senpai."

"Well, as you have probably figured out yourself, your friend is alive. But barely." Hynos stepped over to a nearby table where the remnants of Senpai's last meal sat. "This food is cold, but not rotten. And this spilled water has not evaporated. It is likely this young man was up and moving around just hours ago."

Leopard Cat probably abandoned Senpai's body when he found out Kulau failed to steal my spirit power… At least he's been taking care of his body until that point.

Hynos continued. "Judging from the state of this apartment, this Leopard Cat left in a hurry. With the mess on the table and the fact that the door was not even locked, it seems he did not plan on returning."

"He probably knew I would come after him." I said. "Luckily we were able to track him. He'd run pretty far by the time we found him again."

"You located him so easily?"

"Y-yeah," I said. "It was mostly Kulau's doing. I let him use my body. I think he called it… becoming his oracle?" I glanced over at the Clouded Leopard, and he nodded. "Something about possessing me let him search all over the city in seconds."

"Very tiring," said Kulau.

"Interesting…" Hynos mused on the information I had given him. I took the opportunity to lift Senpai up from the floor and gently set him down on the couch behind him. He was much easier to carry than I expected. "In most cases, having a host does amplify a spirit's natural abilities. No one on the city watch has tracking quite that impressive, though."

I stepped back and let Kulau take my place above Senpai. "Alright Kulau… Just… put it back into him somehow."

"…" Kulau awkwardly held the soul above Senpai, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, he didn't have to do anything. As soon as he brought the soul close, the energies within it unraveled. I watched in awe as dozens of strands of bright green chi poured into Senpai's body, passing through his skin and infusing him with the energy he had once lost.

The spiritual light show only lasted a few seconds before all of the energy had disappeared. I watched Senpai's body with bated breath, awaiting any sort of movement or indication that he was alive… but nothing happened. Senpai remained just as still as he had been before his soul was returned.

"Why didn't it work? Did… did we do something wrong? Were we too late?" I directed my flurry of questions at Hynos.

"Calm yourself. It's going to be some time before we know if the infusion was successful," Hynos said as he stepped over to Senpai's body. "Putting a soul back into a human body is something even the gods do not fully understand. The process can fail for any reason, or even no reason at all."

A wave of panic washed over me. "W-what?"

"Ah… apologies. Perhaps that was not the best thing to say," said Hynos. "I can assure you, you've done all you can. Now, we wait."

All these shocks are bad for my heart… I bent down and checked Senpai's vitals again. Both his heartrate and his breathing had improved considerably. I breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed into a nearby chair.

"I realize this may not be the best time, but…" said Hynos.

"You want me to explain everything, right?" I finished.

Hynos nodded. "Please."

I sighed again, and started recounting the events of the last few hours. Leopard Cat's trickery and why Kulau attacked me. I told him again about how Kulau and I found Leopard Cat. Then about Lin Hu possessing me and how that and Kulau's chi draining let us enter Leopard Cat's body. I described how Lin Hu used his own chi in order to get Leopard Cat's chi to release Senpai's, and how exhausting it was for him. Hynos listened intently the entire time, absorbing every piece of information I gave him.

"…And that's about it. Kulau and I went straight here, and then we met you. And now here we are."

Hynos didn't speak right away. I wondered if I was revealing too much information here… but I live in this city. I can't hide things from a city guardian.

"So…" began Hynos. "You used god chi as bait to rescue this young man's soul. That is surprisingly risky behavior for a Guardian Tiger. It is already dangerous enough interfacing with another spirit's chi, but to sacrifice his own life force as well…"

"I sorta forced him to do it…" I said. "At least, I did at the start. All I could think about was saving my Senpai."

"Understandable," said Hynos. "but still quite reckless. You three are fortunate to have survived." The canine's piercing gaze made me lower my head in shame. The persistent calmness of his appearance and his words only made me feel worse. I think I'd prefer if he'd just yell at me. "…Still, you succeeded. I must applaud the creativity and quick thinking of you and your friends." Now he's praising us? I lifted my head back up to look at the canine spirit once more. "Where is this Leopard Cat now?"

"We left him in my apartment. He was still unconscious after what we put him through. He should still be there. I asked Guardian Tiger to watch him and make sure he didn't leave."

"I see… I will need to speak with that yaoguai. Do you mind if I accompany you when you return home?"

"Uhh… I guess not, but what are you gonna do to him?"

"There's not much I can do," said Hynos. "You have fed a soul-eating yaoguai god chi. He is now a demigod. I've been hunting him for years, and now I can't touch him. It's actually a little disappointing." Hynos walked over to one of the apartment's windows and stared out into the fading sunlight. "I should not say such things. I should be glad he will not be hurting anyone else." The canine guardian sighed. "To truly answer your question, Leopard Cat still has to pay for his sins. He will work for the city or he will be exiled, though I am sure both of those are preferable alternatives to what we intended to do to him before."

Seems Leopard Cat had everyone after him… Us, the city, and who knows what else.

"Young man…" Hynos turned around and made direct eye contact with me. "This may be presumptuous of me, but I would like to offer you a job working for the City God."

"…Huh? What? Why?" Hynos' sudden offer left me greatly confused, but the look on the canine guardian's face told me he was completely serious. Well… I guess he _always_ looks serious, but I don't think he'd joke like that.

"Without any sort of prior training, you and your guardians have accomplished something once thought impossible. With some refinement and proper training, I have no doubt you could use your talents to save many more lives from yaoguai attacks."

"Ah… I don't know what to say… This is rather sudden."

"Of course, we won't force you to work for us. But it would be an incredible waste for you to refuse. I'm sure the City God will want to speak to all of you directly. He can give you more details then."

Despite what he said, I didn't feel like Hynos was giving me much of a choice… How am I supposed to refuse someone as powerful as the City Cod? Argh! This is just like the start of this month! Lin Hu still wants me to go back home, Kulau still needs my help with his clansmen, and now instead of Leopard Cat, I have the city wanting my help! I sighed again. I just want to live my life in peace!

"I think we've spent enough time here," said Hynos. "I have other duties to attend to, and I still need to make my report for all of this. I would not advise you to linger around here for much longer. There are people nearby watching this place." Hynos turned back towards the window, so I got up and joined him. Sure enough, there was a man in a black suit leaning against a black car just outside of the apartment complex.

My eyes widened. I ducked away from the window as the man glanced towards Senpai's room. He looked just like the man from the arcade. Senpai's family must've sent him to check on Senpai. I peeked back out the window and noticed the man had pulled out a cell phone and was trying to call someone.

I gasped as Senpai's phone, still on the floor from earlier, started vibrating again. If I was caught with Senpai still unconscious like this…

"Kulau, we need to leave. Now." I said as I searched around for Senpai's keys. I found them on a nearby table and then scooped up Senpai's phone from off the floor. I turned to Kulau as I slid both of those items into my pockets, and then held out my hand for Clouded Leopard to grab. "Take Senpai and bring us back to my apartment."

Hynos watched with fascination as Kulau's spirit power flooded into my body. Kulau was on the move as soon as he had control over me. Aided by his spirit power, we effortlessly lifted Senpai bridal style and carried him out the door. Hynos followed us until we were outside of the spirit path at the bottom of the stairwell. Thankfully, the stairwell was out of the black-suited man's line of sight.

I thought spirit paths were an aboriginal thing, but the canine guardian had no trouble following us into the foggy void, and soon enough the three of us reappeared back at my own apartment complex. Kulau left my body once again, but a portion of his spirit power remained behind to ease the burden of carrying Senpai like this.

The two of us started towards my room, but stopped when Hynos called after us.

"Ah, just a minute. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak to the aborigine in private. He did not speak much earlier and I would like some answers directly from him."

"Er… I don't mind, but it's not up to me," I said, glancing over at Clouded Leopard.

"Is fine. I talk," said Kulau.

"Alright. Just be patient with him Hynos. Kulau doesn't know how to speak Mandarin that well."

"Understood," said Hynos.

With that, I left the two spirits to their business and continued upstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

When I arrived outside my apartment door, I realized I had a problem. How am I supposed to open the door while I'm carrying Senpai like this?! I pressed my knee against the wall beside my door and supported Senpai with my thigh while I dug around for my keys. This would never work without the extra support from Kulau's spirit power… Eventually I was able to fumble the door open. Thank god nobody came out of their room and saw me out there.

I laid Senpai gently onto my bed, and then took a few steps back. He still hadn't moved, but at least he looked more like he was sleeping and less like he was dead. Hmm… I had this nagging feeling that something was off about my room.

Something grabbed me from behind and threw me onto the floor. The next thing I knew, Leopard Cat was on top of me, looking down at me with an animalistic grin. "I've got you now, Liao!" he exclaimed. "I finished off the old man, and now it's your turn!" Leopard Cat raised one of his hands, and then brought his claws down towards my neck.

I braced for the impact, closing my eyes and awaiting the feeling of his claws ripping at my flesh… but nothing came. In fact, the pressure from Leopard Cat's body was gone entirely.

"That was not funny, you stupid, foolish kitten."

That was Lin Hu's voice…! I opened my eyes to see my Guardian Tiger once again lifting Leopard Cat by his collar.

"Aww, I was just having a bit of fun. You gotta admit, Liao. I had you going there," said Leopard Cat.

I just kinda stared at him in disbelief. "Y-yeah, you did, but… Lin Hu's right. This isn't the time for jokes like that."

Leopard Cat's shoulders fell in defeat.

Guardian Tiger turned his attention towards me. "Welcome back, Liao. Glad you made it back in one piece, and with your Senpai as well." Tiger looked around. "Where's Kulau? Wasn't he with you?"

"Ah, yeah, he was. He's outside talking to Hynos right now."

"The city guardian that protected us earlier? What's he doing here?"

"Yeah. We ran into him at Senpai's place, and he followed us back for… some reason," I said. "He said he's been hunting Leopard Cat, and he was there to check Senpai's body for clues, or something like that. Now he's asking Kulau questions about what we did."

"Ugh, of course he's here. Just what I needed right now," said Leopard Cat. The yaoguai crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at the floor, sulking over the news of the canine guardian's presence.

"He actually wants to talk to all of us, eventually. Said something about bringing us in front of the City God so we can tell him what happened."

Leopard Cat's sulking expression turned into one of full-blown panic. He looked back at me but didn't say anything. His eyes searched my face for… something. I'm not sure what he wanted from me. Reassurance? Whatever he wanted, I guess he didn't find it, because he went right back to sulking.

Meanwhile, Guardian Tiger just sighed. "Annoying, but not unexpected."

"A-anyway…" Guardian Tiger didn't seem pleased, so I decided to change the subject. "You're looking much better, Lin Hu. Much less… transparent. I guess all your spirit power's back?"

"Most of it, yes. I'm still a little weak, but I'll manage," said Guardian Tiger. "What's going on with Yan Shu-Chi? Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

"I'm fine too. Thanks for asking!" said Leopard Cat.

"I don't know. Hynos said it could take a while, so… we just gotta wait, I guess."

"Hmm. I see."

A knock at the door interrupted our conversation. "Ah, that must be Kulau." I opened the door and sure enough, it was Clouded Leopard. "Come in." Kulau slipped inside my apartment and I shut the door behind him. "What did Hynos want?"

"Many questions. About us. About Yan Shu-Chi. Hard to answer…" explained Kulau. "Left. Said… will be back."

Guess we won't be rid of Hynos anytime soon… Guardian Tiger was right. This is gonna be annoying.

"Well, now that we're all here…" said Guardian Tiger as he dropped Leopard Cat, who landed on his feet. "Start explaining yourself, kitten. Tell them what you told me." Leopard Cat continued avoiding eye contact until Guardian Tiger pushed against the smaller cat's back, making him stumble forward.

Leopard Cat gasped as he almost lost his balance. "Ack, fine! Just let me gather my thoughts first!" Leopard Cat took one long, deep breath and then looked directly into my eyes. "…This entire month, I've been deceiving you. I used your Senpai to get close to you. I almost killed him because I wanted your spirit power for myself…"

"Remember the god of soil in Miaoli? He's not in danger of disappearing, because… I made him up." Leopard Cat frowned and looked down towards the floor. "That day I came over to your apartment, I didn't realize your third eye had awoken. I was planning to eat you, right then and there. But seeing the old man and Kulau here… I just panicked and made something up."

"So… if I had gone to Miaoli with you…"

"I would've eaten your soul the first chance I got. You probably wouldn't even make it there." His words sent shivers across my body. Guardian Tiger's suspicions had been right from the start. "I should've ran away as soon as I saw you had a guardian tiger, but something drew me to you. I don't know whether it was Yan Shu-Chi's influence, or if I just wanted your spirit power that badly, but whatever it was convinced me to stay."

He continued. "And that's how our month together started. Like I told you, I tried everything I could think of to get you by yourself, but nothing worked. Even when I thought we were alone, the old man was always watching us from the shadows."

"Eating your soul was always on my mind. I won't deny that. I abused your Senpai's connections and did all I could to get you to trust me. But… It was strange. I…" Leopard Cat hesitated. "I actually enjoyed the time I spent with you. I felt like I had a friend, like you actually cared about me." The yaoguai refused to make any eye contact now. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I told myself it was all fake, and that if you knew what I had done to your Senpai you'd hate me for sure. But… I still couldn't let you go. I still wanted to around you even if our friendship was a lie."

Leopard Cat let out a small, sad laugh. "The worst part of it all? I didn't understand why I felt like this. I was constantly struggling against my desires to both eat you and to hang out and have fun with you. It drove me mad. I wanted to go on more dates, but I knew my time was running out. I just couldn't stand these conflicting feelings anymore."

The half-yaoguai sighed. "It didn't help that you were the first person I've tried to eat that could actually see me. And you were the first person to care about me, the yaoguai, and not the one I was impersonating. When I disappeared and you went all the way to your Senpai's home looking for me… it honestly shocked me. I wanted to make you worry, but I didn't expect you do anything about it. What finally broke me was when you offered to build me a temple here in the city. The guilt and shame of what I'd done overcame me. But it was far too late to give Yan Shu-Chi back. I'd stolen so much of his soul already."

Guardian Tiger spoke next. "The unusual amount of foreign energy we felt floating around inside this kitten's body was his way of trying to return your Senpai's soul. Of course, yaoguai bodies do not work that way. As long as he resided within Yan Shu-Chi, he would continue to drain bits of his soul."

"The old man's right. I really did try, but it didn't work." Leopard Cat sighed again as his shoulders fell. "Then the yaoguai in me decided enough was enough. It's a lame excuse, I know, but I lost all my self-control. 'All I've ever done is steal other's souls. Why should I let now be any different?' I thought. So I took one last gamble… and I lost. The moment Kulau failed, I knew it was all over. I ditched Yan Shu-Chi's body and ran away. I wanted to see if you would follow me and what you would do if you caught me. I came back here despite facing certain death just so I could see you one last time. Part of me wanted to die… part of me wanted it to be you that killed me… but you didn't. Even if it was only to save your Senpai… you still showed me mercy."

Leopard Cat glanced up at me, exposing the glistening tears in the corners of his eyes. "I-I'm so glad you're still alive, Liao." His breath hitched, and he was unable to stop the tears from spilling forth. He quickly averted his gaze and wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist. "I… I've never felt this close to someone before, and I threw it all away before I realized what I had. Our chance for a normal friendship was gone before I'd even met you."

Hearing Leopard Cat speak made my chest tighten. The raw emotion I felt behind his words… it's just like what I felt on our date at the arcade. It's a side of him he rarely lets out.

He sniffled, keeping his head lowered. "At least now that the old man's turned me into a god, I won't be able to hurt anyone anymore. My yaoguai urges are completely gone. So if you want me to leave you alone I…" He trailed off.

I waited a few seconds until it seemed like he had finished speaking. "Leopard Cat…" I said. The half-yaoguai looked up at me. Streaks of fur under his eyes remained damp, but he was no longer crying. "I… I don't want that. I don't want you to leave."

Leopard Cat stared at me with shock. "W-what?! Why? After everything I've done to you…?"

"Do you still not understand, kitten?" said Guardian Tiger. "The only reason you're still standing is because Liao does care about you. He specifically asked us not to kill you. His capacity to forgive is far greater than mine."

"Initially I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with you… You've done so many horrible things, and to a lot more people than just Senpai and I," I said to Leopard Cat. "For some reason, I still wanted to hear what you had to say. I guess I really was looking for an excuse to forgive you, even after all that's happened. I do hate what you've done, but I can't hate you. I should, but… I just can't."

"It's just not in Liao's nature," said Guardian Tiger. "Honestly, I would be more surprised if he did order us to dispose of you, kitten."

Guardian Tiger was right. Part of me had always intended to let Leopard Cat go. "Was everything you said the truth, Leopard Cat?" I asked.

"Of course!" Leopard Cat said with a small jump. He looked at me with an unamused half-glared, as if I had insulted him by questioning his words. "The good and the bad! For once, I'll take responsibility for my actions. I don't want to lie to you or hurt you anymore, Liao."

I really do want to believe him. I want to believe he's changed. I want to trust him for real. "If you're really serious, then… I'll believe you. We can start over. You can live here with me and Guardian Tiger, and maybe Clouded Leopard too, if he wants to stay. We can all be friends for real. We'll even build you a shrine in my room if we have to."

Leopard Cat's eyes widened. "R-really?" he asked, and I nodded. "Liao… I don't know what to say. I don't deserve your kindness."

"You are absolutely right. You don't deserve it, kitten," said Guardian Tiger. "And if you take advantage of Liao again, I will personally deal with you. Understand?"

The yaoguai frowned and looked back down towards the floor. "Y-yeah… I got it."

There was still one thing I had to know. "Leopard Cat. Tell me, which you was the real Leopard Cat? Did you only want to be friends because you had Senpai's soul?"

"They were both real," he said. "I wasn't lying when I said your Senpai and I had very similar personalities," said Leopard Cat. "It's true I become what I eat. It lets me mimic their personality, but I never forget who I am underneath that. Senpai was almost a perfect match, so everything I did felt natural to me. The only thing eating his soul provided me with was the means to get close to you… and his crush on you. But now that Yan Shu-Chi is no longer influencing me, I can tell these are my own feelings." Leopard Cat looked directly into my eyes and steeled himself. "Liao, I… I like you!"

A confession?! Now, of all times?!

"Hmph. This kitten's delirious from all that power swimming around inside of him. Don't pay him any mind Liao," said Guardian Tiger.

"Shut up old man! I'm serious here!"

"At least wait until Yan Shu-Chi has woken up. What will you do, kitten, if he does not? How would you feel then? How do you think Liao would feel? Think about someone other than yourself for a change."

Leopard Cat opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to find any words to respond with. He just closed his mouth and stared at the floor to avoid our eyes.

"I've already thought about that," I said. The two spirits turned their attention to me. "Leopard Cat. Senpai is your responsibility now. Whether he wakes or not, you will take care of him." Both of them seemed confused. "If Senpai doesn't make it… then Leopard Cat will take care of his body, just like he did before." I turned towards the half-yaoguai. "You'd live your life as Yan Shu-Chi until his physical body died. His life, his goals, his relationships, his dreams… they'd all be yours to live out in his place. It wouldn't make up for robbing him of his chance to do the same… but it would help honor his memory."

"Seems fair to me," said Guardian Tiger.

"Of course you'd say that! You're not the one who has to do it!" Leopard Cat sighed. "But I understand. If it comes down to it… I'll do it."

"And what if Yan Shu-Chi lives?" asked Guardian Tiger.

"Then Leopard Cat will become his Guardian Tiger. He will protect Senpai just as Lin Hu protects me." Both of them seemed shocked by that.

"What?! So I'm stuck with him anyways? Ugh…" Leopard Cat's shoulders sank.

"I understand your intentions here, Liao," said Guardian Tiger. "But it is not so easy to become a Guardian Tiger. He would first need to be summoned by Goddess Mazu, and then have a guardian statue made. And even after all that, you'd still need to convince your Senpai to worship the kitten or else his power will fade. He needs faith to sustain himself now."

"Yan Shu-Chi can't even see me!" said Leopard Cat. "It would be so incredibly boring to watch over someone I can't even interact with! And besides, you told me I could stay here with you. What if he wants to move away? What if he doesn't want anything to do with you after this?"

"Oh… I… I don't know." I guess I hadn't thought this through.

"Settle down, kitten. Why don't we wait and see if Yan Shu-Chi actually wakes? Then we'll decide your fate."

"Yan Shu-Chi wakes," repeated Kulau.

"Yes, that's what I said," said Guardian Tiger.

"No," Kulau said and gestured towards Senpai's body. "Look."

All at once, the three of us realized what Kulau meant. We rushed over to my bed to see for ourselves.


	5. Chapter 5

Senpai looked like someone suffering from a nightmare. He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. He looked… scared. Like he was trying to run away from some kind of monster inside of his head.

"He does not look good," said Guardian Tiger.

"What should we do? Try to wake him?" I asked. I felt Senpai's forehead and noticed he was much warmer than normal.

"Best not. We don't know what's going on. The most you could do is try to make him comfortable."

I grabbed a washcloth and ran it under cold water, and then, wringing out the excess liquid, brought it over to Senpai. I wiped away some of his sweat, and then folded the damp cloth and placed it on his forehead. That should help cool him down some. Ugh… I'm definitely gonna have to change my sheets before I sleep tonight.

Occasionally, Senpai would make some small noises like he was in pain. More time passed, and I just sat beside him trying to soothe his unconscious body. When Kulau said he was waking up, I thought he meant actually waking up.

"This sure is taking a while… I wonder what's going on." I said.

"My best guess," said Guardian Tiger. "is that Yan Shu-Chi's body is fighting against the remnants of this kitten's chi. He will probably wake up when his energies settle. You're causing us so much trouble, kitten."

"Hey, I already apologized for all of this, didn't I?" said Leopard Cat.

"Actually," said Guardian Tiger. "I don't recall you apologizing to us even once, kitten."

Leopard Cat huffed, folding his arms and turning his head away from Guardian Tiger. "Fine! I'm sorry, okay? For all the trouble I've caused."

Guardian Tiger didn't seem impressed. "Hmph. Doesn't sound genuine to me. But I guess that's the best we'll get."

Leopard Cat just ignored him and changed the subject. "I still can't believe you guys were able to pull his soul out of me like that."

"Well, it wasn't easy," said Guardian Tiger.

"Do you remember anything about it, Leopard Cat?" I asked.

"Hmm…" Leopard Cat scratched his chin. "Not really. I passed out when Kulau started draining my chi. I vaguely remember the feeling of you guys digging around my insides…" Leopard Cat shivered. "It felt disgusting…"

"It was not pleasant for us either," said Guardian Tiger.

Leopard Cat just rolled his eyes. "When I woke up, it's was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I could think clearly for the first time in my life. I felt incredible… I still do."

Guardian Tiger spoke with a slight growl at the start of his words. "Don't let that feeling reawaken your lust for power, kitten."

Leopard Cat frowned. "Don't worry, old man. Those days are over. Even if I wanted to steal more power, all this god chi in me paints a huge target on my back. The city guardians would notice me immediately."

That's reassuring. I don't think I'll have to worry about Leopard Cat stealing my soul while I sleep, at the least. I stood up and stretched, pulling Shu-Chi's keys and phone out of my pocket. Almost forgot I had those with me. I pulled out my own phone and started looking through menus from nearby delivery places. It was getting late, and I can't go out for food with Senpai like this. He'll probably be starving when he wakes up, too.

"Ugh… Liao…"

I jumped and looked at Senpai. That was definitely his voice just now. He tossed and turned on my bed with his eyes tightly shut.

"Liao…" he called again.

"Guys, I think he's waking up!" I exclaimed. "What should I do?" I started pacing back and forth, and then stopped and looked at the three spirits. "You guys gotta hide." None of them moved. "…Well?"

"He can't see us, Liao. We don't need to hide," said Guardian Tiger.

"Oh, right." I stopped pacing and walked back to Senpai's side. He was totally calm now, like the nightmare had stopped and he was just sleeping. The sweating had stopped altogether. "…Senpai?" I called out. I grabbed his shoulder and lightly shook his body. "Senpai?" I called again. "Wake up."

Senpai groaned. His hand moved up and rubbed the side of his head. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open.

"Senpai!" I yelled.

"L-Liao…? What…" Senpai looked at me with confusion. "Where am I?" He tried to sit up, but immediately clutched his head and inhaled sharply as he fell back down to the bed. "Oh god, my head hurts."

"Don't try to sit up Senpai. You're in my apartment. Just rest for now."

Senpai waited until the pain subsided to speak. "Ugh… Why am I here? I don't remember… why do I feel so awful?"

"Uhh…" Now I realized I had no idea how to explain this to him. I can't just say, 'Oh I'm glad your back, Senpai. A yaoguai ate your soul, but then me and my magic spirit cats saved you and put your soul back in your body!' Yeah, not happening. "W-well, I invited you over after dance practice today. We walked home together, but you looked so tired that I insisted you rest as soon as we got here. You passed out, and you've been asleep for the whole afternoon…"

"R-really?"

I felt really bad lying to Senpai like this, but I didn't have much choice. "Yeah. I guess you must've pushed yourself too hard and nearly collapsed from exhaustion."

Senpai's eyes met mine. He stared at me for few seconds, but then blushed and turned the other way. "I-I see. Sorry to impose on you like this."

"It's no trouble at all, Senpai. You can rest here until you feel better."

"…Thanks, Liao."

Our eyes met again. I wonder… Just how much did Senpai remember from the past month? If he doesn't remember spending time together with Leopard Cat inside his body, then this is gonna be really hard to lie myself out of. Everyone in dance class thinks we're dating. Even his family thinks we are. And with the date at the arcade… no doubt the other senpai's told everyone about that by now. If I don't know what he remembers, then there's no way I can create a convincing lie. He's gonna realize everything doesn't add up as soon as he leaves. Sigh… At this rate, just telling the truth would be easier. I opened my mouth to speak, but Senpai yawned loudly and stretched as best he could while laying down.

"Ugh. My whole body is sore. Liao, we should go back to that hot spring after midterms for a day of relaxation."

"The hot spring?" I repeated. He remembered?

"Yeah? The one we went to like two weeks ago. I wanna go back."

"But Senpai… I told you that's expensive. We can't afford to go there often, especially not twice in one month."

"It's fine, Liao! We went over this last time!" Senpai smiled. A tinge of pink dusted his cheeks.

I let out a small sigh. "Fine, fine. We can go." Knowing Senpai and Leopard Cat had similar personalities, I'm sure Senpai would guilt me until I agreed to go with him. Might as well save us both the trouble. Though… Senpai didn't mention Lin Hu or Kulau at all, even though I saw them in his memories. I guess he remembers the last month as if they weren't there. That's kinda disappointing…

Senpai's smile widened, but quickly vanished as he went into a fit of coughing. "Water…" he choked out.

I quickly stepped over to my fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. I shot the three spirits an apologetic look. I can't talk to them until Senpai leaves. For some reason, Leopard Cat didn't look happy watching us… could he be… jealous?

"You gotta sit up for this," I said as I unscrewed the top. Senpai's coughing fit had mostly subsided except for a few lingering coughs as he tried to catch his breath. He grabbed the water bottle and, with his eyes closed and head tilted back, starting downing the whole thing. After several large gulps, his drinking rate slowed and his head tilted back to normal. However, when Senpai opened his eyes, he started coughing all over again, this time choking on his water.

"Senpai? What's wrong?" I asked. Senpai handed me the water bottle, and I took it away from him before he could spill the rest of it. Still coughing and covering his mouth with his left hand, he pointed towards the center of my room with his right. Dread set in as I followed his arm right towards where the three cat spirits were standing.

"What… the hell… are they…!" Senpai said between gasps. "Don't you see them, Liao?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Them!" he waved his hand for emphasis. "The giant… tiger men, or whatever!"

"Uhh…"

Guardian Tiger sighed. "Only one of us is a tiger, boy."

"Gah!" Senpai nearly jumped out of his skin. His eyes darted between me and the three spirits. "A-Am I still dreaming? This can't be real."

Guardian Tiger walked over to the two of us. Senpai shrank back and covered his head with his arms. "You might as well tell him the truth, Liao. If he can see spirits, then it is dangerous to continue lying to him."

"H-He just said your name…" said Senpai. "Liao, what is going on?"

"Aha… I guess the spirit cats are out of the bag…" I said. Senpai did not look amused. "Senpai, this is gonna sound strange, but… these are spirits."

"Spirits?" Senpai asked. "You mean like… yaoguais?"

"Hmph! I am no yaoguai," said Guardian Tiger. Kulau and Leopard Cat had joined us beside my bed. "I am Lin Hu, a guardian tiger god of the Lin family."

"Rukai Clouded Leopard. Likulau." Kulau introduced himself in much the same way he did when I first met him.

"Well…" Leopard Cat started. "I actually am a yaoguai… And I don't have a name. Everyone just calls me Leopard Cat." He looked a little dejected saying that. Maybe I should think of a proper name for him since he'll be staying around.

Senpai carefully looked over each of the three spirits. "Lin Hu… Kulau… Leopard Cat… This sounds so familiar." Senpai clutched his head again. "Ugh… my head is killing me."

"Kulau, is this your doing?" asked Guardian Tiger. "Did you open Yan Shu-Chi's third eye too?"

"No," said Kulau. "Not my fault."

"Senpai…?" He was hunched over, trembling and gripping his head with both hands. I reached out to put a hand on his shoulder only for him to jerk away.

"Don't touch me!" he yelled, causing me to flinch. "These memories aren't mine. I… whose hand is that?"

I was about to reach for him again, but Guardian Tiger stopped me. "Just let him work it out himself, Liao. Seems the sight of us triggered something."

"What do you mean? What's going on with him?"

"Hmm…" Guardian Tiger scratched his chin. "From your conversation earlier, we can assume Yan Shu-Chi remembered the past month as if Kulau and I did not exist. His mind couldn't understand our existence, so it chose to ignore us. Seeing us here now forces him to remember the truth."

Senpai didn't even acknowledge what Guardian Tiger said. Several minutes passed, and eventually Senpai stopped shaking.

"Senpai?" I called out one more time.

"Liao?" He responded with a look of confusion. "I don't understand. I have all these memories of the time we spent together, but it feels like they aren't mine. Like… someone else was in control and I was just a spectator of my own body. What actually happened this month?"

"That is surprisingly accurate," said Guardian Tiger as he placed one of his massive hands on top of Leopard Cat's head. "You want to explain yourself again, cat? Or should I?"

"S-stop that!" Leopard Cat struggled out from under Tiger's grip. "I'll do it!" He sighed and stood straight up to face Senpai. "It's kind of a long story… and you won't understand a lot of it… so I'll just give you the short version." Their eyes met for a brief moment, but Leopard Cat had to look away. "I sort of… stole your soul, and then pretended to be you for the past month in order to get closer to Liao and then steal his soul as well."

"…You did _what_?" asked Senpai.

"I-It's okay, Senpai!" I rushed to say. "We got your soul back and everything's fine now!"

"I wouldn't say everything," said Guardian Tiger. "After all, Yan Shu-Chi was not able to see spirits before. His third eye is clearly open," Tiger sniffed the air. "and yet his aura smells completely different than Liao's. In fact, he smells just like a yaoguai now."

"See? Everything's not fine!" said Senpai. "I don't even know what that means, but it doesn't sound good!"

"It just means you have more spirit power than you should. A lot more, actually," explained Guardian Tiger. "And I hate to say it, but I think your recovery was only possible because this cat inhabited your body for so long. The time your souls spent entwined with one another gave you enough time to adjust to the presence of his negative chi. Now your body accepts this kitten's energy as part of your own." Guardian Tiger crossed his arms in front of him. "You would likely not be alive right now if your body had rejected it. It is a part of you now, like it or not."

"Well I don't like it!" said Senpai.

"Hey, it isn't so bad," said Leopard Cat. "Just think of it like I gave you a month-long vacation from your everyday life while still taking care of everything. And look, Liao even knows how you feel about him now. It's like a win-win for you! You should be thanking me, even!"

Ha… I think that's going too far, Leopard Cat.

"A-as if!" Senpai's cheeks reddened. "I didn't ask for any of that. In fact, the last thing I remember was buying food for Liao so I could come over and ask him to go out with me." Now I felt my own face heating up. "From my memories I thought… he had said yes. But now…" Senpai's eyes met my own. "What's the truth, Liao?"

"Senpai…" Was he asking me if we were dating? "I… I don't know how to answer that. It's complicated."

"What Liao is trying to say is," said Leopard Cat with a smirk. "he can't go out with you because he's already in love with me!"

"No chance, kitten," said Guardian Tiger. "Liao obviously prefers my company to yours. He would never choose you over me."

"No way, old man! Liao is definitely mine!"

"I stay with Liao," said Kulau.

"Hey, I like Liao too!" Great, now Senpai was joining in. "And I'm a human, with a real human body! That has to count for something, right Liao?"

"Liao spent all his time with me, not you!" said Leopard Cat. "It doesn't matter that it was your body, I was the one he went out with. So I-"

Alright, I've had enough. "Guys, guys! Stop!" I said. All of them looked at me, and I sighed. "I'm sorry. I can't decide something like this right now." I turned to address the spirits. "I will admit I… have feelings for you three. And all of you seem to want my attention." It felt awkward saying this to their faces. I had to do it sooner or later, though. "It's too hard to choose between you guys. I couldn't do it at the start of the month, and I still can't." The room was dead silent with everyone's attention on me, all awaiting my next words. "I don't want to have to choose anymore. This is incredibly selfish, I know, but… I want all three of you."

"Hmph. It is already inappropriate enough to have a relationship with a spirit, Liao, and now you want one with three at once?" said Guardian Tiger. "I don't know how to feel about this."

"I don't want to share Liao either!" said Leopard Cat with fake tears in his eyes.

"You guys aren't leaving anyway," I said. "no matter what I decide or who I choose. Except maybe Kulau. I know he has his tribe to get back to."

"I stay," said Clouded Leopard. "Leave. Come back. Stay."

"See?" I said. "All of you feel something for me too, right? And all three of you will be around me possibly for the rest of my life. How can you ask me to choose only one of you? It isn't fair to the other two, and it isn't fair to make me decide who I disappoint."

I glanced between the three spirits. Each of them avoided making eye contact with me. In reality, I wasn't sure how Lin Hu or Kulau felt. Only Leopard Cat has openly admitted to liking me so far. Kulau did say he loved me earlier… but I'm still not sure if he fully understood all of this. Lin Hu's protesting seemed to come from not wanting Leopard Cat to have me rather than wanting me for himself.

Guardian Tiger sighed. "…I suppose you're right. If Liao cannot make up his mind, then it can't be helped. I will not leave you, and this kitten won't leave no matter how hard we try to get rid of him. This discussion is not over, but we'll save it for another time."

"F-fine… I see your point too, Liao." said Leopard Cat. The half-yaoguai had crossed his arms and was pouting again.

Kulau studied the other two spirit's faces for a few seconds before turning towards me and nodding once.

I felt my shoulders relax as I let out a small sigh of relief. I didn't even realize how tense I was feeling just now.

"Senpai," I said, turning towards him now. "What Leopard Cat said was true. All the time you and I spent together… it wasn't real. I spent time with Leopard Cat's version of you, but not the real you."

"Are they not basically the same?" asked Guardian Tiger.

"Sort of…" said Leopard Cat. "Our personalities are very similar, and nobody will think twice about the things I did while in his body… but humans aren't that simple. I can't know exactly how the real Yan Shu-Chi will respond to things, I can only make assumptions. He might react completely differently now that he knows the truth about all this."

"I know you like me, Senpai," I continued. "And I know to you it feels like we've been going out for a whole month, but that isn't real. I can't continue something like that."

Senpai looked confused, almost hurt. "You're rejecting me?"

"N-no, that's not it. It's just… how do I put this…" I said. "What I saw of you this month was what Leopard Cat wanted me to see. So I feel like I know you, and at the same time feel like I don't know anything about you. It would feel wrong to agree to date you when things are like this."

"I see…" said Senpai. His shoulders hung low and he glanced up at me out of the corner of his eyes, somehow making him look sadder. He probably feels like I just broke up with him, too… Now I feel guilty. "So… what happens now? Do I just… go home? Pretend this last month never happened?"

"If that's what you want," I said. Admittedly, the thought of him leaving saddened me. "I won't lie, Senpai. I do have some feelings for you too. It doesn't have to end here." Senpai looked up, and our eyes met. "I know all of this is pretty crazy. I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me after all this… but I'd like for you to stay. We can get to know each other for real this time."

"Regardless of what Yan Shu-Chi wants to do now," said Guardian Tiger. "it would not be wise for him to wander around without an escort. All that excess spirit power he's acquired makes him an appealing target for the next opportunistic yaoguai." Guardian Tiger eyed Leopard Cat as he said that.

"Hey, don't look at me!" said Leopard Cat with an indignant glare directed at Guardian Tiger. "I can't do that anymore."

"I am aware of that, but," said Guardian Tiger. "did you not say you wanted to take responsibility for your actions earlier? This is your chance, kitten. Step up and protect Yan Shu-Chi."

"H-hang on a minute!" said Leopard Cat with a panicked expression. "Liao promised I could stay here, remember? What about the shrine he was gonna build for me?"

"We'll just build you one at Yan Shu-Chi's place. It doesn't matter where it is," said Guardian Tiger. "I'm sure Liao cares more about the safety of his Senpai than he does about your feelings."

"B-but…!" Leopard Cat's eyes darted between me, Guardian Tiger, and Senpai. "What if Yan Shu-Chi doesn't want me around him? Wouldn't he be uncomfortable being around someone who, you know, stole their soul once?"

"Just give it up, cat. You just confirmed you can't do that anymore," said Guardian Tiger. "Yan Shu-Chi has no reason to fear you now that you are part god."

Leopard Cat's eyes settled on me, pleading me to say something.

"Well…" I started. "I did say Leopard Cat could stay here first." The half-yaoguai immediately relaxed and let out a small sigh of relief. "But I do want Senpai to be safe, too. If Lin Hu thinks some should watch him… then… I don't see what other options we have."

That sent Leopard Cat into a panic again. "Uh… what about asking the City God? One of the city guardians can watch over Yan Shu-Chi."

"Now you want to dump the responsibility onto someone else?" Guardian Tiger shook his head. "It may work, but I do not like letting you off the hook so easily."

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" asked Senpai. All of us looked at him.

Guardian Tiger scratched his chin. "…I suppose so. It is your life we're talking about."

"What do you want to do then, Senpai?" I asked.

Senpai didn't answer right away. He looked back at us, studying our faces. "I think, err… Leopard Cat, was it? is right. It would feel awkward being alone with him after what he did to me. That's not an environment I'd want to live in."

"Finally, someone's talking sense here!" said Leopard Cat.

"Be quiet, cat," said Guardian Tiger before he turned to Senpai. "So, you want to ask the City God for help instead?"

"I don't think that would be any better," said Senpai. "I'd still feel uncomfortable being around a spirit I'm not familiar with."

Guardian Tiger sighed. "Now you are just being difficult. Those are the only two options you have, unless you'd prefer to take your chances and live alone."

"What about you guys?" asked Senpai.

Guardian Tiger eyed Senpai with suspicion. "What about us?"

"You three protect Liao, don't you? Can't you protect me too?"

"Impossible," said Guardian Tiger as he shook his head. "We cannot be in two places at once, and my duty is to the Lin family, not the Yan family. I will not abandon Liao to watch over you."

Leopard Cat spoke up. "That won't be a problem if they're in the same place." Leopard Cat broke out into an increasingly widening smile as he spoke. "All they'd have to do is move in together. Then we'd be able to watch over both of them easily."

"Huh?" I said.

"Hey, yeah!" said Senpai. "That works out perfectly! You three can protect the both of us, Liao will know I'm safe, and he can keep his promise to Leopard Cat."

"It most certainly does not work out perfectly!" said Guardian Tiger. He glared at both Leopard Cat and Senpai. "You have your own home to go back to, and this kitten is perfectly capable of keeping you safe. I do not want you burdening Liao for no reason."

"It won't be a burden," said Leopard Cat. "It'll be just like what we did this past month, only this time Yan Shu-Chi and I won't be in the same body."

"This past month HAS been a burden on Liao," said Guardian Tiger. "You forced your way into Liao's home by taking advantage of his good nature, and now you are both trying to manipulate him again. I will not have it."

"Hang on, Lin Hu," I said. "I think they're right."

Guardian Tiger stared at me with disapproval. "You can't be serious, Liao. Can you not see that they are trying to trick you again?"

"But… what they said makes sense," I said. "If we're the ones protecting Senpai, then I'll know for sure he's safe. And it's easier to protect him if he's living with us."

"You can't be together all the time," said Guardian Tiger. "You have class to attend, and so does Yan Shu-Chi. What will you do then?"

"I'll watch him on campus," said Leopard Cat. "Nobody's gonna try anything there. Then we'll just meet up like we normally do and spend the rest of the day together."

"But-" started Guardian Tiger.

"Ugh! Come on, old man!" said Leopard Cat as he crossed his arms. "You're the only one being stubborn here. Liao's already agreed to it, and so has his Senpai."

Guardian Tiger folded his arms and looked back at us with a frown.

Senpai shrugged. "I don't mind being with him in public. I'd just rather not be alone in my apartment with him. No offense."

"None taken," said Leopard Cat.

"It's fine, Lin Hu," I said. "I know you're just looking out for me, but I think this is the best solution. I want to make sure Senpai stays safe, and I want to keep my promise to Leopard Cat."

Guardian Tiger just sighed. "As you wish. I still do not think this is necessary, but if it's what you want then I'll say no more on the subject." He focused his gaze on Leopard Cat. "But don't think you'll have it easy because of this, kitten. This just means I'll be able to watch you very closely to make sure you aren't causing trouble."

Leopard Cat returned the warning with an innocent smile. "You don't have to worry, old man. I'll behave."

Guardian Tiger rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you will, cat."

"So… it's okay? We can live together?" asked Senpai.

Guardian Tiger stared down at Senpai before answering. Being under the gaze of the towering Guardian made Senpai noticeably uncomfortable. "…I'll allow it, yes. But under the same conditions as this cat. Do not cause any trouble for Liao."

"I don't intend to," said Senpai.

"Hmph. That's the problem," said Guardian Tiger. "If you really are similar to this kitten, you will make Liao's life more difficult just by being around him. You won't even have to try."

I let out an awkward laugh. Guardian Tiger was right about that. "A-anyway, I guess that's that."

"Guess so," said Senpai. "Only thing about this is that people already think we're dating. If we suddenly start living in the same apartment, we won't be able to convince anyone we aren't going out."

"I don't care about that," I said. "Let people think what they want. I've dealt with it this entire month, so I'm kinda over it now. Making sure you're safe is more important than anyone's opinions."

"Well, as long as you're okay with this," said Senpai.

"It's fine," I said. "At worst, it'll just be like we're roommates. I don't think it'll be that bad though."

"Heh, I hope it won't." Senpai smiled. "And all I gotta do is make you like me for real. That shouldn't be too hard, and when that happens we'll already be living together."

"S-senpai!" I said, a bit shocked.

Senpai's smile widened into a grin. "What? That's what you were implying earlier, right? The possibility of us actually dating?"

"W-well… yes…" I said. My face was heating up again. "But you know I like these three." I nodded back towards the three spirits. "Even with that, you're still okay getting involved with me?"

Senpai just shrugged. "What's one more gonna hurt? You already seem okay with that idea yourself. And to tell you the truth, this is all pretty exciting," Senpai rubbed the back of his neck and looked off to the side, with his face turning slightly pink. "I… kinda like beastmen too. I was surprised you did, Liao."

"S-seriously? You do?" I asked.

Senpai nodded.

"Oh great, not another one," said Guardian Tiger as he shook his head. "I do not like where this is heading."

"Relax, old man!" said Leopard Cat with a small, sly smile. "This makes things more fun, doesn't it?"

"I would not call this fun, kitten," said Guardian Tiger.

"Alright!" Senpai said suddenly and jumped up off the bed. "It's decided then. I'll move in here with Liao right away."

I blinked. "Wait, what? You want to move here?!"

"Yeah?" said Senpai with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with that? I, or at least my body, lived here for most of the past month already. This feels like home to me."

"Why can't we just use your actual home?" I asked. "You know, the apartment you already have that's much bigger and nicer than mine?" I waved my arm back towards my small apartment. "My place is tiny! There's no way the five of us can live here comfortably."

"Sure we can!" said Senpai. "And besides, we can't use my apartment anyway. For one thing, it's too expensive. Once my family finds out I'm living with another guy, money's gonna get a little tight."

I opened my mouth to speak, but then closed it. He had me there. I hadn't even thought about how my family would react, much less how his own family would. Hang on… if he knew moving in would cause that, why would he agree to it?! Was this conversation all part of his plan to get closer to me?!

"And the second thing…" started Senpai. "My family kiiiinda owns the building. I think I'd rather take my chances with the yaoguais than have the both of us living in there."

"Wait… your family _owns the building?_ " I said. Senpai nodded. Just how powerful is Senpai's family? "We definitely can't live there, then."

"You see?" said Senpai. "So we gotta live here. We have no other choice."

Senpai's right, but… "You can't just move in here, you know. We're gonna have to talk to the landlord and make sure it's okay first."

Senpai dismissed my concerns with a wave of his hand. "Don't sweat the details Liao! We'll figure it out later! Now c'mon!" he said as he grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the door. "I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat, and then pick up my things and bring them back here."

"What?! Now?! Can't that wait until the morning?" I asked. "I'm exhausted! I just want to sleep!"

"You're always exhausted, Liao!" responded Senpai. "It won't take long. Leopard Cat never unpacked my things from the last time he moved us out."

I glanced over at the half-yaoguai, who just shrugged. "I never had a reason to."

…This was a mistake. Just go home, Senpai. And please take Leopard Cat with you. Let me sleep and have my peaceful life.

That's what I thought about saying. But it was far too late. Senpai was already dragging me out of the door, with Lin Hu, Leopard Cat, and Kulau following behind.

"Let's get some of that fried chicken again!" said Leopard Cat.

"That sounds nice. I approve," said Lin Hu.

"Yes," agreed Kulau.

They're going along with this… My will was completely drained. This was the life I signed up for. My shoulders fell in defeat at the realization of what my future was like. I'll never have a moment of peace again.

"At least close the door on your way out!"

* * *

[Catlogger]: Three Cats, Two Humans, One Apartment

Shu-Chi Senpai officially moved in with me. We admit our "relationship" to the club. No one seemed surprised, but his fans were still upset with me. Senpai assured me they'll move on sooner or later.

I wasn't sure how things between Senpai and I would go at first, but it wasn't long before I discovered just how similar he was to Leopard Cat. The two of us grew close pretty easily, and I decided to date him for real.

For the most part, things went back to the way they were.

Having all three cats around, with the addition of Shu-Chi Senpai, made things more than a little hectic.

Lin Hu asked to borrow my body often to use the computer. He had a hard time controlling me at first, but now he has no trouble.

I helped him set up a blog on one of those social networking sites, and he used it to answer spiritual questions. Most people don't believe him, but that doesn't stop him from doing it. Lin Hu said as long as his followers grow, the number of believers will grow as well. I don't understand how that works, but I guess I don't need to.

He also liked to browse forums and learn new things, as well as play computer games. It's actually pretty fun watching him be so enthusiastic about this type of stuff.

Clouded Leopard still wanted my help, but I found another solution. We convinced Jiahao, my Rukai friend from dance club, to help talk to Leopard's clansmen.

Communication was a little difficult with another person involved, but this was a much better alternative than traveling to Wutai myself.

In return, Clouded Leopard continued teaching me, and now also Shu-Chi Senpai, how to dance better.

Clouded Leopard also seemed eager to learn more Mandarin. Everyone pitched in and tried to teach him how to speak more clearly. He's slowly getting better.

Sometimes, Clouded Leopard would disappear for a while. I don't know what he's doing. He's probably visiting his tribe, or maybe wandering around the city. No matter what, though, he always returned to my apartment before bedtime.

Leopard Cat remained his usual self. He worked a little for the city now to make up for all the bad things he's done, but most of his time is still spent around me.

I was worried he wouldn't get along with Shu-Chi Senpai after what Leopard Cat had done to him. To my surprise, they got along fairly well… that is, as long as they weren't fighting each other for my attention. Eventually, the two bonded deeply enough that Shu-Chi Senpai allowed Leopard Cat to possess his body again, but only for short periods of time.

It took some more convincing, but Lin Hu, Leopard Cat, Clouded Leopard, and Shu-Chi Senpai all agreed to share me. Lin Hu still seemed somewhat uncomfortable with it, but I think he's just happy there's another human here to take care of me and help me with things he can't.

It's a weird feeling, being this close to four others. Leopard Cat and Shu-Chi Senpai would often drag me out for dates, with Lin Hu and Clouded Leopard following close behind, refusing to be left out.

Like I thought, it was extremely tiring juggling all of their needs, but it was worth it and very rewarding. I loved all four of them, and they loved me. Our time spent together helped their bonds between each other grow as well, and that eased some of the pressure off of me as they grew closer. It started to feel less like I was part of four relationships and more like all of us were part of one big one.

Our intimate moments were… incredible, to say the least. It was awkward at first, even though I had already been with Lin Hu and Clouded Leopard once before. The closer we grew, the more confidence we had.

Three of them being spirits only made things better. We could do so many things that weren't possible in a normal relationship. Sometimes Lin Hu would possess my body, and Leopard Cat would possess Shu-Chi Senpai's body and…

I felt bad leaving Clouded Leopard out of that, but we soon discovered he could possess Shu-Chi Senpai's body too.

Not every part of my new life was pleasant. As I expected, my family can't accept my relationship with Shu-Chi senpai. I think I'll keep what we do with the three spirits a secret. I don't think anyone else needs to know.

Lin Hu's disappointed, but he understands why I can't return home right now. I do hope I can go back one day, even if it's just to visit. Hearing that made Lin Hu smile. He told me he doesn't mind staying in Taipei. He said it makes him happy that I'm living my life how I want to live it… as long as I don't go to Wutai with Clouded Leopard.

To say Shu-Chi Senpai's family was mad about our relationship would be an understatement. They've made their displeasure abundantly clear. It's scary to be hated by such a powerful family, but the three spirits reassured me that they'll protect me and Senpai. Leopard Cat said he has yaoguai friends he can call on, and Lin Hu has asked Goddess Mazu for protection. Clouded Leopard was powerful on his own, too.

Also, Hynos came by after things had settled down and brought us before the City God. It was intimidating being so close to such a powerful being, but he was surprisingly nice and friendly. He asked us to aid the city in the event of another yaoguai attack happened like the one with Senpai, and also discussed the possibility of us becoming official city guardians. Lin Hu doesn't seem keen on the idea of serving a different god. The City God gave us time to think about it. We'll have to give him an answer soon.

I can't say what the future holds for me. Some things worry me, but for now, I am mostly content. I guess I'll live out the rest of my college years like this and then see where I end up.

All I can do for now is enjoy the time I have surrounded by the people I love. I am safe and happy. I don't know how to express how grateful I am towards them.

This truly was the best outcome I could have ever imagined.

[保存]


End file.
